Fargo and Shameless alum William H. Macy says deciding to co-star in the uplifting, fact-based film, Soul on Fire, was an easy "yes" for him.

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"I got the script. I read it. I cried. I laughed. I was moved," the 75-year-old Emmy winner told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.

"It was a no-brainer. I like to read things in one sitting, read them fast, skip the stage directions, just read the dialogue and it's pretty easy to see this movie in your mind's eye," he added.

"And I'm endlessly fascinated by the character I played, Jack Buck. He's an icon. He is beloved by millions, but sort of enigmatic, things like he did in our story. He did that a lot. He was an interesting guy and very private about it all."

Available on streaming platforms Tuesday, the screen adaptation of John O'Leary's book, On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life, co-stars Joel Courtney, John Corbett and Stephanie Szostak.

The film follows O'Leary (Courtney) as he defies the odds to become a building contractor and motivational speaker after a fire left him with burns over most of his body when he was nine years old.

Macy plays Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck, who befriended and rallied support for the boy.

The actor said he doesn't know exactly what motivated Buck to reach out to a stranger the way he did, but his actions helped the child face his new challenges with tremendous courage and optimism

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"I talked to his son, who's also an announcer and he said, as a father, he was a bit distant, and worked a lot, worked really hard, was away a lot," Macy said about the real Buck, who died in 2002 at the age of 77.

"I think he had a lot of love in him and this was the best way he could let it out," he added. "It's not an unusual story, too. You can be so much kinder to others than your family."

Macy said he believes Buck understood the positive impact he had on O'Leary.

"He stayed in touch with John for the rest of his life," Macy added. "He knew that it was successful. John wasn't supposed to live. He was supposed to die that night."

Director Sean McNamara, 63, said Buck was at a dinner party when he first heard about O'Leary's tragic accident.

"On his own, he decided to actually go [to the hospital] and just almost will him to live," McNamara said.

"He was in a coma and Jack said: 'You're going to live. You're going to be OK.' And I think it just got into [O'Leary's] head that that's the only choice, 'You are going to live and you're going to make it.'"

Macy quipped: "I read that scene and saw that he was still in his tuxedo. I thought, 'Yeah, I'll start the movie in a tuxedo.'"

Having the real O'Leary on the set of the film was a great source of inspiration for the cast and crew, McNamara said.

"He's a hugger. He just runs up to anybody he meets. He doesn't shake their hand and just gives them a big hug and that just reminds us of the joy of life," the director said.

"It's a fantastic place to be," he added. "He loves everybody and that's infectious. People start to feel good when there's happy people around."

Macy agreed.

"It would be good to have John O'Leary on any set," he said. "He just raises the bar of joy. He reminds you, 'We're having the time of our life, aren't we?' Sometimes we have to be reminded of that."