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I know Anthony Mackie doesn’t elicit a lot of feelings from people, but I’ve liked him for years and am glad we’re getting a chance to talk about him. I appreciated that so many of you commented on the story about how he’s personally repairing hurricane-damaged homes in his native New Orleans. Also I’m sure his neutral public-facing image is cultivated. He hustles for his job when it’s required, but he’s focused more on the day-to-day in his life and isn’t caught up in fame. Mackie emphasized that in a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment. He said he doesn’t think that much about being Captain America and that he turns his phone off and does things like fishing, landscaping and building. He’s more stressed about whether his kids will text him back and what they’ll say. He also spoke quite a bit about how much he gets from giving back to his community. The quote in the title is actually a paraphrase because he said he gives someone the opportunity to make their home whole. (The full quote wouldn’t fit in our format.) Notice the distinction and how he’s not personally taking credit. Here’s more from Yahoo!:
On the pressure of fame
“I don’t care about that,” Mackie, who will soon star in a new Captain America film. “The pressure that comes along with being Captain America or being Falcon really is something I never think about or pay attention to. That’s why I live in New Orleans — the only thing I’ve got to worry about is where I’m getting my red beans on Monday.”According to the father of four, the only feedback he truly cares about comes from his kids.
“Trying to get my kids to like me, that is the most stressful thing on earth,” he says with a smile. “I always said I didn’t want to be the cool parent, but now just … when I send my kids something and they send something back, that is the most stressful [process]. Like, you sit there and wait to see if they’re gonna text you back; you call and you see if they’re gonna call you back. It’s one of those things where I never realized how you go through the whole scope of your life not caring about recognition or acceptance from anybody. And this one 3-year-old can break your heart in 30 seconds.”
On his volunteer work
“A lot of times you drive past people and you never know what their experience is in day-to-day life,” he says. “So when I give back, it’s really an opportunity to see what other people are going through and how other people live, so I can know how fortunate I am and so I can know how fortunate my kids are.“After [Hurricane] Katrina, I learned very quickly that there’s nothing more important than home,” he adds. “So to give somebody the opportunity to make their home whole, holistically that helps me mind, body and soul because it makes me feel good. And I learn a little bit more about myself. It’s not so much I need a pat on the back or not so much I want the recognition, but the idea of seeing someone smile — seeing someone being transformed by the idea of social work and aid — if I can give that little bit of joy, that makes me feel good as well.”
On his passions in life
“I’m a really big outdoor person,” Mackie, 44, says. “I always say I’m not a cellphone person. I love taking my cell phone and leaving it somewhere and not looking at it all day. As long as I know my kids are good, I’m good. I love to go fishing. I love to be out in the woods. I love to be out in the backyard, doing some landscaping in my yard or just building stuff.“I’ll build anything — I don’t care if it’s Popsicle sticks,” the father of four adds with a laugh. “Just something to take my mind off the outside world, because we’re faced with so much ridicule and judgment and so many questions. At what point do you step away from that and just take care of yourself? So I use those things to kind of take care of my mental [health].”
I like how he explains his volunteer work as benefitting him too and how he’s able to turn his phone off when he needs a break. I wish I was able to disconnect like that, but I worry that I’ll miss something if I leave my phone home. Yahoo! has clips from their video interview with Mackie and these quotes mean more when you see him say them. There’s something unsaid in his comments about his kids though. I know what he means about kids being brutal but these are very much the concerns of a divorced dad. We know that he split with his first wife a few years ago and that they have four sons. I thought his youngest son was at least five though. Maybe he’s talking about his youngest when he first started talking to him on the phone. I’m here for the new Captain America so honk if you want more stories about Mackie.
ANTHONY BLESSED MACKIE is FOURTY FOUR ??? I thought he was ten years younger than that.
*honk* 😀 Love Anthony Mackie and would def read more stories about him!
Honking for Anthony Mackie!!
There’s a very strong culture in New Orleans of neighbors helping each other. I’m sure much if that comes out of Katrina and dealing with hurricanes, but it’s also baked into the society with organizations like the various social aid and pleasure clubs, which in turn come out of a lack of financial resources available historically to people of color. It’s a very outward facing culture, though, with a big emphasis on public gathering and community support. I love that he’s made it big, but he sees that as an opportunity to give back rather than a ticket out.
I first learned about these organizations in New Orleans when I took a tour of St Louis Cemetery #1 in NO a few years ago. Then learned a bit more at an exhibit on the various krewe during Mardi Gras. Yes, NO has a long-standing history of neighbor helping neighbor; and likely other places do, too, but it’s got a special NO spin in that city.
And HONK honk honking away here!
I love all of this, and especially when he acknowledges that his volunteer work benefits him as well, rather then making himself out to be solely self-sacrificing. As someone who worked in the charitable sector for years, I absolutely concur that our most dedicated volunteers saw themselves as both giving and benefiting from their work.
Oh, and HONK!!!
I still remember his super-cringey statement about women/gender roles/preferred girlfriend behavoiur. I remember it was covered here and we were all cringing.
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DaNaG7vLc3FI&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiN9fauscT6AhUY7aQKHfS2BO0QtwJ6BAgIEAE&usg=AOvVaw10upQyCY9b1WS75oQE4Gge
I haven’t forgotten that. I can still applaud his current efforts while hoping he’s lost some sexism and gained some sense since then.
I love this and his work I like how he is focused and is bringing forth all he does for his community. And I’m nodding along at his statement on trying to get his kids to text/call back….Same Mackie, Same. Makes me feel a little better that even Captain America doesn’t always get a timely response lol
Anthony Mackie elicits big feelings in me! He’s so talented, so charismatic, and has amazing chemistry with absolutely everyone. He’s a great actor and great at the business side of being an actor. Probably bc he’s not up his own a$$ about it all. More Mackie!!!
Yes, I love watching his interviews with other people. You can tell they love him.
Honk honk!
HONK HONK
It’s so nice that whenever Anthony Mackie comes up it’s a story about how he’s a nice guy who takes his personal relationships really seriously and isn’t getting drawn into fame as all-encompassing.
HONK!!!!!!
The part about his kids was sweet! Worrying about his 3yo getting back to him! (OK, maybe not the 3yo.). And whether he wanted to or not, he IS the cool dad.
Honk!! Honk!!
Before I got to your second paragraph, as I was reading the excerpt, I also remembered here recently divorced. It definitely rang as a recently divorced Dad thing to me too. As long as he did everything he can to be a good and present Dad, his kids will love him. Even if it takes a few years for the kids to understand.
Honk for Anthony!!!
Also for Monday Red Beans.
Anthony is the real deal – you can tell this comes from the heart.
Thank you for posts like these – they remind me there are good people out there. ❤️
Great little video snippet there! A lot of people don’t have a decent savings buffer, which impacts how they can access amenities and it’s seriously wonderful that AM mentions that. Here in Holland you can get subsidies for home improvements, for example, but you need to spend thousands of euros to access them. And if you can make home improvements, usually you save money. I love that he’s helping out. And I also love that he wears a safety harness when working on the roof.