William H. Macy Reacts to Emmy Rossum's 'Shameless' Exit
William H. Macy knows his TV daughter.
Emmy Rossum revealed her decision to leave Shameless after nine seasons on Thursday, and while the news came as a shock to fans, Macy wasn't surprised.
“We’ve been expecting it,” the 68-year-old actor said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on Friday. “I tell you, when you get to season 9 and you think of [whether] to keep going, it’s daunting. It’s hard not to think of: ‘What would my life be post-Shameless?’ And part of it is very frightening and part of it is very exciting."
"She’s young and I think she’s made the right choice. She’s got another show that she’s an executive producer on, so she’s going right into something and she wants to branch out," he noted. "Plus, she just got married. I wish her well. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do next.”
Rossum announced her departure from Shameless in a heartfelt note to fans, calling her role as Fiona Gallagher "a gift."
"I knew it the second I read the pilot script, this was different, this was special," she said, praising the series. "I know you will continue on without me, for now. There is much more Gallagher story to be told," she concludes. "I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block."
While speaking with EW, Macy agreed that the show is one that can definitely continue on for years to come.
“Totally. It’s a well conceived show from the outset. It’s a perfect number of characters, especially with Kev and V,” he said. “And the other genius thing about it is that there are kids and they’ve been growing up and as they grow up it opens up a brand new world of plot possibilities. My character is a little bit more problematical, because I’m playing a character that by definition doesn’t change. But they’ve done a magnificent job of figuring out where to go with this thing -- and it’s exciting.”
The actor has been a big supporter of Rossum, including when she renegotiated her contract after fighting for pay parity with him in 2016. See more on Macy in the video below.
Season nine of Shameless premieres Sunday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
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