William H. Macy has been criticized for sharing his perspective as a male actor in the time of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements after winning his third career SAG award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

Macy, who won a SAG award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series for his work in Shameless, told reporters backstage on Sunday night that “it’s hard to be a man these days.”

“I think a lot of us feel like we’re under attack, and that we need to apologize, and perhaps we do, and perhaps we are,” he said, reflecting on the current climate in Hollywood. “But we’ll keep talking. To repeat, I’m blessed that I’m in this business.”

READ MORE: James Franco attends SAG Awards amid sexual misconduct cloud, Aziz Ansari skips out

“We had a meeting, a bunch of guys got together, under the auspices of Time’s Up — and that’s good for men,” he continued. “Men don’t talk enough. Men don’t talk to other men, and we talked. What the hell — a little bit can’t hurt you.”

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When Macy was asked what advice he would give a young, up-and-coming actor about how to conduct himself, he said the question was “really, really, really complicated.”

“Because on one hand, in what we do for a living, we’ve got to be free to speak the unspeakable and try things, so I hope it doesn’t throw a wet blanket on things and I don’t believe it will because half of the business is women and they’re smart and they’re hip,” he said.

READ MORE: This year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards will feature all-female presenters

“I have two daughters, and I feel girls are ascendant, and I’m thrilled for them,” he said. “It’s a good time to be a girl. And I’m proud of this business, because such things as safety in the workplace — I think that’s done. We’re not going back. It’s changed. It changed in an instant, and it’s not going back.”

“When it comes to equality and pay, it’s inevitable and it’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen quickly,” he continued. “My hat’s off to our business. I work for John Wells, and he’s been proactive in making our cast and crew and the writer’s room look like America. He’s been proactive about that for a long time. I’ve worked for a lot of women. I always have. Perhaps it’s the projects I choose. It’s all good.”

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Macy has spoken out about equal pay many times. When Emmy Rossum threatened to leave Shameless if she didn’t receive pay equal to that of her costar Macy, he was nothing but supportive.

Shameless star Rossum had a salary standoff with Warner Bros., which caused a delay for the Season 8 renewal of the Showtime drama.

When Rossum joined the cast of Shameless in 2011, her salary was significantly lower than her co-star, Macy. Speaking out about the issue, Rossum said it made perfect sense that she was paid less than Macy at the time because it was her first TV show.

At the 2017 Vulture Festival, Rossum revealed that Macy was one of her biggest supporters. She told the panel, “It’s unconscionable they would pay a woman less for the same job.”

“It’s show biz’s job to get us for as cheaply as they can — and our job to say no,”she said. Macy went on to point out that Rossum’s character, Fiona, is truly the centre of the show.

READ MORE: SAG 2018 winners: Full list of TV and movies awards

Macy beat out GLOW’s Marc Maron, black-ish’s Anthony Anderson, Will & Grace’s Sean Hayes, Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Larry David and Master of None’s Aziz Ansari for outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series on Sunday evening.

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During his acceptance speech, he thanked his fellow nominees.

“A couple of years ago, I was privy to a conversation with David Mamet, who is really my mentor and taught me everything I knew,” he said. “He was talking to a journalist and the journalist said, ‘Actors have a weird job: [They] just tell lies for a living.’ And he said, ‘No, an actor’s job is to tell the truth,’” Macy recalled.

He continued: “Even though our lines and the stories we’re told are given to us by writers, it’s our job, under those imaginary circumstances, to find the truth. And I think it’s a glorious way to make a living, especially in this day and age when so many people either can’t recognize the truth, or don’t think it’s important.”

Many people took to Twitter to criticize Macy for his comments at the SAG Awards.

Awww. Poor William H Macy. It’s so hard to be a man with all the making more money, not being systemically sexually assaulted followed by having it covered up so there’s no consequences. WAH! — Carly Stevenson (@CarlyLuvsMusik) January 22, 2018

Dear @WilliamHMacy – I read more than the headline & u seem like a good guy. But imagine the *decades* women have actually been attacked. So don't look2 women 2make men feel better bcuz women haven't been abusing their power. Look to men to call out other men on their crap. https://t.co/10THjmqFGu — Maureen (@soaprookie) January 22, 2018

Lmfao @WilliamHMacy you think workplace sexual harassment has ended because y'all wore black and some pins?! and how is it hard to be a man? Because y'all can't sexually assault us and get away with it anymore?? — Emma (@kimyonceee) January 22, 2018

@WilliamHMacy @SAGawards @AsiaArgento Oh, being a man is hard these days? boo hoo–try being an oppressed, threatened woman for a million days or maybe even just ONE day. Feel our pain, empathize. — Arlene Taffera (@arlenetaffera) January 22, 2018

Watch Macy back stage at the SAG Awards in the video above.

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