William H Macy says John O’Leary’s survival story isn’t a ‘miracle’

SPECIAL – Some may call John O’Leary a miracle, but “Soul on Fire” actor William H. Macy said that word belittles the young man’s unimaginable story of survival.

When O’Leary was 9 years old, his entire body was burned in an accidental fire that broke out while he was playing with matches and gasoline in his garage. He wasn’t expected to survive, but after months of grueling recovery—and with the help of his family, compassionate medical staff, and a famous friend—he not only lived, but continued to thrive.

The local celebrity who befriended him was the legendary St. Patrick’s Day coach, who has been calling games for 47 years. The St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster was the late Jack Buck. Buck heard O’Leary’s story at a dinner party one night and decided to visit him in the hospital; It was a meeting that sparked a friendship that would change his life.

Macy plays Buck in AFFIRM Films and director Sean McNamara’s new film “Soul on Fire,” which tells O’Leary’s story. He was candid when asked if he believed O’Leary’s survival was a miracle.

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“No, I don’t need miracles,” Macy told Fox News Digital after some thought. “I’m sticking a needle here. I find the world itself miraculous. I don’t need anything supernatural. I find the way the world works miraculous. And I find human beings miraculous sometimes. So… That child shouldn’t have lived. 95% of his body was burned. He shouldn’t have survived the night.”

“Jack Buck was in a coma when he heard this kid’s name at that dinner and went over and whispered into his ear. And with that familiar voice, he whispered into the kid’s ear what he knew somewhere in the kid’s brain: ‘You’re going to live. You’re going to make it. I don’t think of it as a miracle as much as it instills faith in him,'” Macy said.

“There was a quote, and I thought it was in Ecclesiastes, but I can’t find it. But the definition of faith that I really like is: what’s coming, all the adversities that come your way, you already have what you need to maneuver them, to overcome them. You already have it. It’s within you,” he added.

Macy suggested that the word “miracle” is used a bit “cheaply” these days because it belittles the efforts of O’Leary’s caregivers. In one particular scene in “Soul on Fire,” one of the hospital staff is credited with saving O’Leary’s life by keeping the hospital room clean and preventing the risk of infection on O’Leary’s sensitive skin.

“And… if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s really great what the movie says,” Macy said. “That this kid had the willpower to get out of this situation. I think it was a genius idea that they included, and it’s a true story; the hero of this thing was the janitor, the guy who kept the room clean and spotless. Because, as they say in the movie, ‘That’s what’s going to kill you.’ When over 90% of your body is burned, you are just a horrific life-ending infection waiting to happen. “So he’s a hero, and I don’t want to use that word miracle because I think we use that word a little bit cheaply these days.”

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William H. Macy and John O’Leary died in St. Petersburg on October 2, 2025. Attended Sony Pictures’ AFFIRM Films “Soul on Fire” premiere in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images, SOUL ON FIRE Premiere)

O’Leary now gives motivational speeches across the country and hopes to uplift and inspire with his incredible story. Macy called him one of the most “remarkable” people he had ever met.

“He’s certainly one of, if not the most extraordinary man I’ve ever met,” Macy said. “What you see is what you get. He’s real. He’s come out of all these experiences with a lust for life, he loves life and he loves his life. And he enjoys every day… The guy always seems to have a great time and he lives with such gratitude. And he always finds the good things in his day and he’s as generous to everyone as I’ve ever seen him.”

“I mean, to sum it up for me, we were talking about promotion,” the actor continued. “‘How are we going to sell this thing?’ John spoke up very early on and said: ‘Whoa, whoa, this movie isn’t about me. This film tells the story of the community that took action and, through their combined will, love and expertise, enabled this child to achieve this. That’s what the movie is about.”

Macy also recalled meeting Joe Buck, who followed his father into sports broadcasting. Joe told Macy that although Jack Buck was often aloof at home, he quietly helped countless people behind the scenes.

“He basically told me his dad wasn’t warm and fuzzy at home,” Macy said. “He was kind of a distant father. He knew he was loved by his father, and he knew his father was really proud of him. But he worked hard. He was out of the house a lot, he was away a lot, and when he was there… I didn’t ask if he’d hugged him as a kid, but I kind of filled in that gap myself – it wasn’t indicative. And ever since this movie went into production, people have been coming out of the woodwork to tell him: Jack Buck stories.”

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Macy’s has been in St. Petersburg for 47 years. He plays the late Jack Buck, a commentator for the St. Louis Cardinals. (Ali Overstreet/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

“And he used the bully pulpit,” Macy continued. “He very quietly used his resources to show up in a lot of different places and help people anonymously. The stories are many. And I find that incredibly fascinating. And as I was putting all of this together, I was thinking about this: It was easier for Jack to show love to almost total strangers than it was to close friends. And I know people like that, too. And maybe there’s a good part of that in me.”

When asked why audiences are flocking to faith-based movies these days, Macy said it’s what people want, before considering how Hollywood culture has changed over the years.

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“I think faith-based movies tell the stories they want to hear,” he said. “You know, there’s been a big change in Hollywood, and I’m very proud to be a part of the Hollywood scene, to be an actor, to be in show business. It was about 10 or 15 years ago, when Hollywood woke up one day and said, ‘Our movies don’t look like America, and the people who make the movies don’t look like America. And if we want this industry to continue to grow, we need to fix that, and they did. Very quickly.” happened. I haven’t seen any industry change so quickly.”

“Soul on Fire” is in theaters now.

Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.