A few weeks ago it was rumored that a live action version of Black Panther was in the works (to which Disney and Marvel quickly shut down), but actor Antyhony Mackie, who plays the 16th President's sidekick in the action film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter recently sat down the The Daily Beast to talk about gay marriage, Hollyood's race problem and wanting to play Black Panther.
On Playing Gay In Brother To Brother
Growing up in the South, three things you grow up: homophobic, sexist, and racist. It’s just innate and in your blood. Growing up and going to North Carolina School of the Arts and Juilliard, a lot of my friends were gay. So that’s something that I wanted to deal with and move past in my own personal life—that homophobia that I was raised with and that was prevalent in the community I grew up in.
On Hip Hop Artists Like Jay-Z and The Game Supporting Gay Marriage:
Why wouldn’t you? The way I look at it: if gay and lesbian people want to be as unhappy as all the married couples in the world, go ahead!
On The Frustration Of Getting Supporting Roles In Films While White Actors Such As Jeremy Renner Move To The Top Of The A-List:
It’s extremely difficult. There just aren’t a lot of them. Me being black, the height of black filmmaking was in the late-’80s up until 2002. Now filmmaking has become an international business as opposed to a domestic business, so the idea of making $200 million trumps the idea of making $50 million. It’s tricky. One of my good friends is an Asian actor, and he’s frustrated by the idea that he can only do a kung-fu movie. Another good friend of mine is an Indian actor and the only time he gets offered something is like Slumdog Millionaire, Part II. The film business has actually turned into a really bad business. I enjoy where I am and I don’t have a problem with being Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Don Cheadle, or Jeffrey Wright. They’re not the lead of every movie they’re in, but every time you see them they’re really good.
On Vanity Fair's Lack Of Black Actors On The Cover Of Their Up_And-Coming Stars Issue:
The problem is most people write and direct stories from their perspective, and most people who are writing and directing stories are white. So you tell the story of the white young man growing up in the inner city. Financing is a problem, distribution is a problem, and having the stories to tell is a problem. A lot of people believe that there isn’t money to be made in ethnic filmmaking, because you can’t compare Boyz n the Hood to Spider-Man.
On Playing Black Panther Should It Be Made Into A Live-Action Film:
If Black Panther is made into a movie, I would love for it to be along the lines of (Christopher Nolan's)Batman. It has to be an adult action hero. I would love to be a part of it, though, and I would sign on to it today.
Funniest thing I didn't even think of Anthony Mackie in the role until I heard about this, and I have to say I think he's perfect. It's been a long time since we've had a Black superhero on the big screen (the first and only being Wesley Snipes in the Blade series) and I think a little diversity in the Marvel movie-making world is long overdue. If Mackie doesn't get the part, how about Djimon Hounsou, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Adebisi from Oz) or Chiwetel Ejiofor (Salt)? If Stan Lee was all about showing diversity in his comics, I don't see why the film industry can's add a little color (besides the Hulk) to their roster.
As for his views on race in Hollywood, I don't understand why Hollywood continues to think that only white people go to the movies. The world is alot more diverse than they want you to believe, especially since the latino community is on the verge of overshadowing white folks in a couple of years. There are so many stories that need to be told (besides black folks playing hood rats and maids on the big and small screen), and instead of waiting for the idiots in the big screen film community to play catch-up, it seems the only place where you can be risky and get some roles with bite are on the small screen.
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