Anthony Mackie has delivered plenty of award-worthy performances; whether it's 8 Mile, The Manchurian Candidate, Million Dollar Baby, The Hurt Locker, or even Netflix's Altered Carbon, he's impressed on screen time and time again.
However, he's frequently been overlooked and that's something the actor is well aware of.
Asked by Esquire about the way his career has played out in terms of award success (or lack of), Mackie said, "This ain’t no overnight shit. It’s always apropos for me when awards season comes up. Because I know I’ve done at least four performances that could have been nominated - if not for a Golden Globe, then an Oscar or an Emmy."
A consolation for Mackie is the fact he's now the face of a new blockbuster franchise, starting with Captain America: Brave New World next month. "Captain America is my Oscar," he tells the site. "Because I’ve been overlooked so many times in my career."
The expectations that come with taking on this role aren't lost on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier star, though. Acknowledging that those are "something that nobody talks about," Mackie noted, "Nobody really acknowledges the mental jousting that takes place. When I walk out of this hotel, I don’t walk out of this hotel as Anthony Mackie. I walk out of this hotel as Captain America."
How long Mackie will wield the shield remains to be seen. Another solo movie will hinge on Captain America: Brave New World's success and reports are swirling that Chris Evans is set to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday. He's denied that and his successor claims to have been kept in the dark about these return plans.
"I didn’t know!" he told the site with a laugh. "I talked to Chris a few weeks ago and it wasn’t on the table then. At least, he didn’t tell me it was on the table, because I asked him. I was like, 'You know, they said they’re bringing everyone back for the movie. Are you coming back?'"
"I learned that right there. My manager showed me. He’s like, ‘Oh, so I guess Chris is coming back.’ That’s all I know. I haven’t seen a script."
Of course, if recent rumours are to be believed, Evans may not be playing the Captain America.
As we told you a little earlier today, the Russo Brothers appear keen on putting Mackie's Cap front and centre as Anthony told the site, "He represents a unique space in the Avengers spectrum. And that’s the greatest thing, because sooner or later the collective storytelling is going to be in that space he occupies."
In Captain America: Brave New World, after meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross, played by Harrison Ford in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Sam Wilson finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
Captain America: Brave New World opens in U.S. theaters on February 14, 2025.