Antony Mackie is indeed considered an emerging star in Hollywood. With an impressive career over a decade, his talent and charisma have quickly propelled him to the forefront of numerous films, even donning the esteemed mantle of Captain America. Besides all his acclaimed roles, the actor always wanted to do a Western, certainly a Clint Eastwood movie, but the Falcon actor was furious when Morgan Freeman took the role in the massive $159 million hit.
Anthony Mackie is frustrated over Morgan Freeman for starring in Unforgiven
Anthony Mackie, like us all, is a great fan of the Clint Eastwood movies, especially his timeless Westerns. Mackie, who has showcased numerous impressive roles in various films, is inclined towards starring in an Eastwood Western.
Mackie, in an interview with GeekDad, expressed his desire to work for an Eastwood Western, Unforgiven, and vented his frustration over Morgan Freeman, playfully calling him a “bastard”.
‘When I first started acting, I was like, there are two things I want to do. I want to be a superhero, and I want to do a western, preferably with Clint Eastwood. Then Morgan Freeman took my role in Unforgiven, [LAUGHS] Bastard!”
Furthermore, the actor also shared his perspective on his career that he is famous for his acting skills, and emphasized that he earned his roles solely based on his talent.
“When I got this call, I kinda put things in perspective. I feel like a lot of people are famous for different reasons. Some people are famous because they’re handsome. Some people are famous because they’re British. I’m very happy that I’m famous because I can act. And I feel like this is a job I got because I deserved it”.
Interestingly, Mackie, who made a playful comment about the Shawshank Redemption actor, was just 14 when the movie Unforgiven was released in theaters, which clearly exhibits the closeness between Freeman and Mackie.
Even though his Western dream was unfulfilled, he was fortunate to star in the legendary filmmaker’s award-winning flick Million Dollar Baby alongside Freeman.
Morgan Freeman in return gave Anthony Mackie a hard time on set
Eastwood’s 2004 sports drama, Mackie plays Shawrelle Berry – a supporting character, and Freeman as Eddie, a former boxer. The movie follows the story of an underappreciated boxing trainer who takes on an aspiring female boxer. Mackie and Freeman got along well on the set, but Mackie, who playfully joked with him, got some hard-hitting punches from Freeman during the filming.
“He was supposed to be fake punching me, right? But he was punching me for real. And there’s nothing like old black dude country strength. It hurt so bad.”
Mackie would seek Eastwood’s help on the matter. But Eastwood did little to help. “And Both the director and actor would be in the corner laughing together, and we’d do another take and he’d punch me again!” The MCU star finally highlighted it was a valuable experience he gained from working with these veteran actors.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Anthony Mackie joke about Morgan Freeman?
Mackie told GeekDad he had always wanted to do a Clint Eastwood western, then laughed that Freeman took his role in Unforgiven, calling him a name in jest.
Did Anthony Mackie ever work with Clint Eastwood?
Yes. Mackie played boxer Shawrelle Berry in Eastwood’s 2004 drama Million Dollar Baby, which also featured Morgan Freeman as former fighter Eddie Dupris.
What happened between Mackie and Freeman on that set?
Mackie said Freeman was meant to throw fake punches during their scenes but connected for real, and Eastwood simply laughed and called for another take.
