William H. Macy had no problem with nepotism and giving his two daughters a leg up in Hollywood long before his wife, Felicity Huffman was indicted by the FBI for her alleged involvement with an elite college admissions scam.
In a recently unearthed interview from 2004 with Entertainment Weekly, the “Shameless” actor was shameless about doling out favors for his family if they ever ventured into show business.
“One can help your children in this business, and the nepotism works, and I have no problems with it,” Macy said, predicated on the idea that his daughters would go into acting.
He added, “If I can give them a leg up, I absolutely would. It’s a great way to make a living. It really is.”
The quote is the latest in a series of interviews that have come back to haunt Macy in the wake of the college admissions bribery scheme. He recently spoke to Parade about the seemingly grueling application process his eldest daughter was going through.
“She’s going to go to college… We’re right now in the thick of college application time, which is so stressful,” he said in January.
“I am voting that once she gets accepted, she maybe takes a year off. God doesn’t let you be 18 twice… But it’s just my opinion, and we’ll see what she wants to do, what Felicity thinks and how the chips fall.”
He also told Men’s Journal for its February issue that the greatest life advice he ever got was to “never lie.” Oops.
“It’s the cheapest way to go,” the actor said. “Lies cost you a lot, and they’re never worth what they cost.”
Although Macy was not indicted or named in college admissions scam, his wife was among more 30 defendants who allegedly paid up to $6 million in bribes to make sure their children were accepted to elite schools. Huffman faces charges stemming from allegedly making a $15,000 donation to a fake charity to enable their elder daughter to cheat on the SAT.
After a recent court appearance, she was released on a $250,000 bond.