William H. Macy, award-winning actor, writer, and director, talks about his role on the CURIOUS GEORGE TV series and how he and his wife, Felicity Huffman, are raising their two daughters.
Do you/did you read the Curious George books to your children?
We have almost all the Curious George books, and they are a nightly staple. Our youngest daughter, whose name is Georgia coincidentally, has a bit more "George" in her than I'm comfortable with — she loves George's "rascally" nature.
What do you like about the show and PBS KIDS?
At the beginning of each of our scripts, there was always a short list of the goals that the story wanted to accomplish. For instance, one might deal with counting, saving, and earning money, or what sort of creatures live in the water, or the difference in the seasons. Generally speaking, when entertainment tries to teach, it ends up neither teaching nor entertaining. But I thought these scripts were just wonderful, and very hip and funny without being sarcastic or condescending to the medium.
What do you think that the "television George" can bring to children that the books don't?
There is a bit of "George" in all kids, and the trick of parenting, it seems to me, is to nurture that curiosity without destroying the house or losing your mind. Or both. My wife is a genius at this. When the kids say, "I want to make soup," I shudder. When they say, "I want to play with makeup," I have to leave the house. But our kids are self-confident and happy and smarter than I'll ever be, and very, very curious.
