William H. Macy's wonderfully neurotic performance in Fargo is so good that the movie probably wouldn't have worked without him at the centre; it took Macy's brilliantly jumpy and paranoid Jerry Lundergaard to give the movie its anxious energy - the plot hinges on our belief that his down-beaten car salesman would go to the lengths that he goes to in order to get a bit of extra cash. Many believe that Macy should've won an Oscar for his role, so it's rather strange to learn that in the beginning the Coen Brothers didn't think the actor was right for the part. Originally considered for a much smaller role in the movie, Macy auditioned twice for Jerry. When the Coens didn't get back to him after his second reading, he took matters into his own hands and flew to New York to meet with them uninvited. So convinced was Macy that he was the definitive Jerry, he reportedly told them: "I'm very, very worried that you are going to screw up this movie by giving this role to somebody else. It's my role, and I'll shoot your dogs if you don't give it to me." Joking aside, he was right; Jerry Lundergaard remains his best ever performance. Perfect.
