WILLIAM H. MACY / ACTOR

You know his hangdog expression from “Fargo” and “Boogie Nights.” Now you’re learning William H. Macy’s name via “Pleasantville” and “Psycho.” Next up, he’s paired with John Travolta in “A Civil Action” which opens Friday. The Chicago native, 48, started in theater with college pal David Mamet and would love to be a guest on ABC’s “Sports Night,” which features Felicity Huffman, his wife.

FACING FACTS: “I wouldn’t mind being the guy. Wouldn’t mind getting the girl. But I’ve got to face reality--I’m a 48-year-old man, I’m a character guy. I feel like Tom Cruise, but I look like Howdy Doody.”

PLAYING TO TYPE: “I’m completely hooked into the imploding WASP role. Even in New York stage I did that a lot. I think there’s a great part of me that’s actually an imploding WASP.”

ONE SMALL STEP: “Luckily in ‘Psycho’ I get to step out a bit. I’m the guy who gets the goods on these people. I don’t get put upon, although I do get killed. In ‘A Civil Action,’ I’m Mr. Reality--get to give Travolta what-for. Felt really good.”

WHATTA GUY: “We love [Travolta]. He’s funny, lighthearted. Got it in his contract that he shoots a short day. Who could ask for more of a movie star? But John’s a brave actor. Simple. Looks you right in the eye, tells the truth. And that’s what people cheer.”

BLASPHEMY: “I’m one of the only guys in this who can say I’m not a huge Hitchcock fan. Common knowledge that he hated actors, and it shows in his films. He’d have his star, who was always good. But the rest of it . . . I’m just not as big a fan as other people.”

WRITE OVER MIGHT: “I’ll take a good script over anything else. I’ll take a lesser role for a better script. I did one called ‘Happy, Texas,’ written by Ed Stone, a little indie. . . . I can’t remember what I turned down to do it, but it cost me a lot of money. And I’m doing one called ‘Panic.’ Same deal.”

ONE THAT GOT AWAY: “David Kelley wrote something originally called ‘The Game,’ a hockey movie [now called “Mystery, Alaska”]. I desperately wanted to do it.”

BUSY BEE: “I’ve got a lot of work. After ‘Panic,’ there’s Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, a script about synchronicity that’s still being written. Tom Cruise is signed on to star--he’s a pal, too. Great to work with. Then with [longtime partner] Steve Schachter, we wrote a movie for TNT called ‘Travesty.’ I’ll star.”