Anthony Mackie AKA The Falcon
Anthony Mackie AKA The Falcon is a great actor for the part and this was another one of my favorite interviews. The Falcon has been a part of comic books since 1969 but this is the first time as Sam Wilson. He is a former paratrooper who is trained in air combat which is great for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Anthony Mackie was hand picked for this roll by the Russo brothers who are the directors of this awesome movie.
When we asked him about putting on the costume it was and it was great. But it took 45 minutes to put it on each time, but only 5 minutes to get out of it. But putting it on for the first time was surreal at best. He couldn’t stop smiling and was running around the room with joy but it was like meeting a Prince and I had to enjoy the moment. He really took every moment to enjoy being a Super Hero and you could tell that he was the perfect Falcon for the job. His smile, attitude and down to earth demeanor was amazing and you could tell that he loves his job.
Being a flying superhero is one of the best superheros to be according to Mackie!! He loved everything about his costume, loved doing the stunts and gave props to the “best stuntman” in the business that helped him out. His stuntman was Aaron Toney who was really messed up filming this movie, so Anthony gave him Kudos for saving him!! The first day on the set he had to get up onto a 60 foot platform and just do the following:
They said, “All right, stand on the edge of the platform, there’s a jet coming at you. We want you to stand up, turn around, shoot your guns and jump back backwards head first, into this mat.” From 60 feet in the air. And I’m like, Ohhhhhhh! Whoa! The first day is usually like walking down a hallway, or like eating or something. You know, just to break you in. Not jumping off the platform to your death.
Training to be the Falcon
Of course Anthony Mackie looked amazing as the Falcon, but that didn’t come easily. For three months he ate salmon, chickens, tunafish, asparagus. And a cup of brown rice at noon. Every day for three months. Plus two a day workout sessions which he compared to high school football two a day practices. So Cardio in the morning, come home and rest and eat. Then at 7 pm go to the gym and lift for an hour and half. Then do it all again the next day.
He joked about things he gave up which included: You have to do a certain thing, you have to live a certain way. So you know, me and my homeboy Jack Daniels stopped talkin’. Uh, you know, no more, uh, pizza, like all the things I love. Me and my girlfriend Haagen Dazs broke up. She French, it was crazy. So we, uh, you know, I just, I had to contain myself. And then I show up and you know, Chris looks like a Greek god. And I’m feeling good about myself, I’m like Spandex ready, you know. And I show up and he’s like, Captain, you know, tiny ass. And I’m like, “Dude, how’d you get your ass that small?” It was a grueling three months.
Goals and Success
Anthony told us about some of the goals he had when he first started acting. One was to be a superhero and the other was to do a Western preferably with Clint Eastwood. Goal #1 has been met because he was a fabulous Falcon in this movie. He felt like he got this job because he deserved it, which in my opinion he did! His experience with Marvel was great and Sam has done 15 movies, Chris and Scarlett have done 6 and Sebastian has done 3.
So I was like, you know, don’t kill my vibe. Like I’m having a, a good time, we’re doing a Marvel movie, we get the best craft services. You know, we’re in California. You know, they — we basically shut down the city of Cleveland. So everywhere we went, people were like, [WHISPERING]. You know, so it’s like, wow, I know how Denzel feels, you know. So I was — I was soakin’ it up. You know, I was, I was really, I — Chris and I have a very good relationship. And literally got to the point where we would show up on set. And we were like seven-year-olds. I mean, we had that first day where it’s like, deal with 35-year-old men in costume.
How do you feel about not being the first African-American Supehero? His answer was just as I expected, humble but yet thankful! He honestly is the only person I could see in this fantastic roll!
Uh, you know, it’s, it’s funny you should ask that. Uh, [LAUGHS] it’s, it’s cool. I feel like, you know, when I was a kid, I really didn’t have that, you know, person I could look at, other than my dad, and be like, “Hey, I want to be that guy and fly through the window.” You know, you couldn’t be like seven years old and say, “Who do you want to be for Halloween?” “Shaft,” you know.
So [LAUGHS] you know, it’s really exciting. Uh, looking at — the biggest thing — and it always makes me emotional. I mean, when I first got this role I just cried like a baby because I was like, “Wow, next Halloween, I’m gonna open the door and there’s gonna be a little kid dressed as the Falcon.” You know, and that’s the thing that always gets me. It’s always, so I feel like everybody deserves that. I feel like there should be a Latino super hero, there should be, you know, I feel like Scarlett does great representation for all the other girls.
But there should be a Wonder Woman movie. I don’t care if they make 20 bucks, if there’s a movie you’re gonna lose money on, make it Wonder Woman. You know what I mean, ’cause little girls deserve that. They there’s so many of these little people out here doing awful things for money, in the world of being famous. And little girls see that. They should have the opposite spectrum of that to look up to. You know what, I’m just trying to go with the flow with it.
Anthony Mackie is honestly a down to Earth guy that has a fabulous sense of humor. He has made a name for himself and his roll in Captain America: The Winter Soldier fits his personality perfectly. Interviewing him was like having a drink with an old friend and a memory I will always cherish.
Be sure you get the Captain America Activity Sheets and Captain America: The Winter Soldier Coloring Sheets available for you to print as well!
*Disclosure: I received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the #ABCTVEvent and #Disneyevents in exchange for my coverage. All opinions are 100% my own.
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