How Hollywood star William H. Macy told of pride in ‘smart’ daughters in interview

His wife Felicity Huffman has been charged over an exam cheating scheme involving their daughter. Before the scandal, William H. Macy opened up about his family in a News Corp exclusive.

His wife Felicity Huffman has been released from court on $250,000 bail after being charged over a college exam cheating scheme involving their eldest daughter.

Before the shock revelations that have tarnished the reputations of one of Hollywood’s most famous acting couples, William H. Macy opened up about his family in an exclusive interview with News Corp Australia’s Holly Byrnes.

Actress Felicity Huffman walks towards the door in the lobby of a Los Angeles court after she is released on a $250,000 bond.

Huffman, the mother of Sofia, 18, and Georgia, 16, has been charged with fraud and conspiracy along with dozens of others in a scheme that saw wealthy parents pay bribes to get their children into top US colleges including Stanford, the University of Southern California, Georgetown and Yale.

MORE: How stars’ college scandal unfolded

MORE: Holly Byrnes interviews William H. Macy

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman with their daughters.

Macy will not be charged despite meeting with alleged “mastermind” William Singer and initially saying he thought they would use Singer’s services to illegally boost their younger daughter’s test scores. But ultimately, Huffman and Macy decided not to pursue the scheme for their second daughter.

Huffman allegedly made a “charitable contribution” of $15,000 to participate in the scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter, Sofia.

Sofia was allegedly given twice the amount of time to take the SATs, the standardised test used for colleage admissions in the US, and the proctor of the exam allegedly corrected her answers after the test. She received a score of 1420 on her SAT.

In October 2017, Macy told National TV Editor Holly Byrnes of his love for his daughters and how he valued open opinions.

Felicity Huffman is among 50 people indicted in a university admissions scam.

“There are some people who are shutting down other people going to colleges and speaking on certain things, but I totally disagree. We’ve got to keep it open to saying anything we want and I firmly feel we particularly have to be able to make fun of ourselves,” he told News Corp.

Macy went on to discuss his TV series Shameless and how as a young man “a lot of confusion and guilt was laid on the shoulders of young folks” when it came to sex.

Court papers said a cooperating witness met with Huffman and Macy, at their Los Angeles home and explained the scam to them. The cooperator told investigators that Huffman and her spouse “agreed to the plan”. Picture: AP

“I’m 35 years older than the rest of my cast and when I was coming of age there was a lot of confusion about sex and a lot of guilt was laid on the shoulders of young folks back then.

“I’ll tell you, with my two daughters, I’ve done my best and my wife too, that guilt and all that fear stops with me. I’m not going to pass it on to my daughters. And I think we’ve been successful: they’re really healthy and really smart.”

Authorities have not said why Macy, who was an Oscar nominee for the 1996 movie Fargo, has not been charged.

Actor William H. Macy arrives at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles to support his wife. Picture: AP

He sat in the courtroom where Huffman had her first appearance and appeared to read legal documents during the proceedings. Huffman, who wore glasses and her hair in a ponytail, looked over at her husband repeatedly during the hearing.

Her attorney cited her community ties and asked that the actress be released on her own recognisance. “She’s simply not the kind of person who is going to become an international fugitive,” her attorney, Evan A. Jeaness said in court.

Felicity Huffman, escorted by courthouse security officers, enters an elevator in the lobby of a Los Angeles court after being released on a $250,000 bond,

Court documents allege that the couple agreed to the plan, and Huffman paid $15,000, disguised as a charitable donation, toward the scam. Macy recently described the college application process for their daughter Sofia to Parade magazine.

“I’m the outlier in this thing. We’re right now in the thick of college application time, which is so stressful. I am voting that once she gets accepted, she maybe takes a year off,” he said. “But it’s just my opinion, and we’ll see what she wants to do, what Felicity thinks and how the chips fall.”

Playwright David Mamet wrote a letter supporting Macy and Huffman, longtime friends, in an open letter posted by The Hollywood Reporter.

“The unqualified may be accepted for many reasons, among them, as Legacies, and on account of large donations made by their parents,” Mamet wrote. “I do not see the difference between getting a kid into school by bribing the Building Committee, and by bribing someone else. But, apparently, the second is against the Law. So be it.”

Huffman is required to appear for arraignment in a Boston courthouse on March 29.

Full House actress Lori Loughlin was also among those indicted. She was not in court, but her husband Mossimo Giannulli’s bond was set at $US1 million, secured against the couple’s home.