Anthony Mackie thinks one single role helped him become Sam Wilson in the MCU. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star talked to Variety about the upcoming series. It turns out the actor thinks that The Hurt Locker was the project that really pushed him into the spotlight for a lot of viewers. Alongside future MCU member Jeremy Renner, Mackie showcased that modern war story that left a big impression on a lot of viewers back in 2009. His Sargent J.T. Sanborn was one of those roles that you never quite forget. The Falcon actor has always been a bit of a chameleon. From Papa Doc to The Adjustment Bureau, there’s no telling where you’ll see him pop up next. However, audiences seem to enjoy Mackie as a military man. The Hurt Locker, his work in the MCU as Sam Wilson, and Outside the Wire all have him flexing those action chops. He’ll be flying and doing stunts on Disney+ in just over a week.
“I thought I would be able to move forward in my career and not have to jostle and position myself for work. To get into rooms with certain people,” Mackie explained. “I thought my work would speak for itself. I didn’t feel a huge shift, but I 100% think that The Hurt Locker is the reason I got Captain America.”
In some other comments to Variety, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige says that the Falcon actor made such an impression in his audition that they went ahead and voted him to play Sam Wilson in a unanimous decision. That’s the first time it ever happened in the history of the studio, so something clearly worked.
“The first experience was him being the unanimous first choice to play the character. We just offered him the role, in my memory, he did not audition,” Feige said. “That’s only happened a handful of times at Marvel. Mr. Mackie was one of those times. I thought he would be great as this character. As we often do, when we’re casting, you cast for the immediate role at hand — which was Sam Wilson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but if it all goes well, that can grow and evolve into numerous things. You want an actor who can do it all, which of course, Anthony can.”
Do you remember Mackie in The Hurt Locker? Let us know down in the comments!