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William H. Macy assumed he was the victim of a racy prank.
Macy had fought for the role, and it paid off with an Oscar nomination.
The naive youngster experiences the highs of his new fame and lifestyle followed by a string of drug-fueled lows.
The unlucky-in-love pushover finally reaches his breaking point inBoogie Nightsmost shocking sequence.
Whats the first thing that comes to mind when you reflect back onBoogie Nights?The company.
There was such a gathering of massive talent, starting with Paul Anderson.
He was so young and such an impressive fellow.
And then as I got to know that cast, everybody was just stunning.
It was absolutely an X-rated script.
So I called my agent and said, Are you having me on?
Boogie Nightswas released a year afterFargo, for which you were Oscar-nominated.
I dont know why I didnt do it earlier!
Don Cheadlehas said he was struck by how super-confident Paul was in their first meeting.
He told Don that hed regret not being a part ofBoogie Nights.
Secondly, its not long before you realize hes got an indefatigable knowledge of film.
Hes seen everything and he can reference it.
And Dons right, just supreme confidence.
They wanted to send out a lesser version and that was tough on him.
So, a bit of aggressiveness on his part.
It happens all the time, Ive seen it.
Whats the reaction from those in your life when you tell them that youre doing a porn drama?
I was titillated by it.
I couldnt wait to see how it was going to work.
What an amazing world.
I mean, when I got there, I realized theyre making a movie.
They may be shooting people having sex, but theyre just making a movie.
It was three women in a hot tub and they were stunningly beautiful.
And theres no fast-forward in real life!
You mentioned Nina, who plays Little Bills wife.
I mean, it probably didnt hurt to have a partner experienced in this field.
Its not that I havent seen porn before, I just didnt know her.
And funny as all get out.
And there was a woman on the set and she said, Nina, hi!
And she said, Its Dolly, and Nina went, Oh my God, Dolly!
Im so sorry, I didnt even recognize you.
And she turned to me and said, And I fucked her!
If memory serves, its calledNina Hartleys Guide to Anal Sex.
She became a pal.
Once on the set, what was Paul like as a young filmmaker?
But he always keeps it moving forward.
He was crazed about the Steadicam.
It was an ambitious undertaking.
But then midday after lunch, it worked.
That was a spontaneous thing; he loved that and left it in.
I was going to just keep going because its a rough shot, but I started giggling.
Paul said, What happened, and I said, You didnt hear that?
The sound guy said, I heard it!
The second time, the gun went off too quickly.
It was under my clothes and he shot me straight on, so you never saw the lump there.
Perhaps I was sweating or something, and it went off prematurely.
And then the third take, everything worked well.
It was an apology, which Im very proud of, because it was an excellent choice.
And they played it back again, and when we got to the bang, the same reaction.
Im a little preoccupied now, my wife has an ass in her cock.
Take two, I think I said, A cock in her ass.
Take three, he said, You said, Ass in her cock, again.
I said, No, I didnt.
He said, You did.
I said, Im sure I didnt, Paul.
At any rate, the one he liked was the word burger where I got it wrong.
Everybody walks up to me and says, Listen, in the scene in the driveway.
I say, No, I said it.
I dont know why I said it.
Paul decided to keep it in.
I read that extras were literally walking off the set during the shooting of the adult-film awards ceremony.
Was that a pretty strange night?Absolutely true.
I guess it was assumed that people would ask and everybody knew what was going on.
And sweet Melora Walters.
Paul said, Were going to give out an award, and you love this guy, Dirk Diggler.
Silence reigned over the room.
So the call went out to get some more extras.
And this time Paul said, Okay, its about the porn industry.
What were the actual mechanics of filming those sex scenes for the movies within the movie?
And so there were some wider shots, masters, where it was a crowded room.
God bless both of them.
But mostly they were brave.
How disappointing was it to see that drama play out?Oh, he wasnt happy.
I think Burt was sort of clueless as to what we were doing.
And he trashed the film after we wrapped up until the time he got an Academy Award nomination.
It was upsetting that I didnt get to act with those guys in some of these scenes.
He said, Everybody says its got to be short.
Goddamn it, this is how long it is!
Other than that, there wasnt a lot of levity in that thing.
Boy, it was moody and depressive.
Because it was emotional, its not my strong suit.
A lot of people say its their favorite movie.
Paul came up to me and said, Are you worried about this?
It was made out of latex and gelatin.
It was super realistic, but it weighed a pound; it was heavy.
And I said, Jesus, Paul, how far are you going to drop it?
Just dont break my neck.
And I said, Yeah, but isnt it going to be from a distance?
The camera would see your hand.
He said, No, no, no.
He went, Youre messing with me, and I started laughing.
To me, hes one of the greatest actors that Ive ever seen.
And I dont know if its just looking back, but I now see that he was in pain.
I think the weight of living was heavier on Phil than it is on other people.
I dont do a lot of preparation, everything I need is in the script.
The character is a trick we play on the audience you dont have to live the character.
Thats not acting, its mental illness.
But it was a little window into how deeply he felt stuff.
And I never saw him do that character again.
From that point on, he played much stronger characters.
And I dont think theres anything he couldnt do.
We went from film to videotape, which was clearly a step-down.
Videotape cant do it, but it was prescient that we went from film to digital.
The only reason to shoot on film is nostalgia.
Anything that film can do, digital can do better.
It was progress, and Paul was writing about that in the microcosm.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
