EntertainmentAnthony Mackie Took a Year Off Acting Following His 'Hurt Locker' Snub

What do you know about Anthony Mackie? Surely, you know that he's been a major part of the last five years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and, well, that he's probably a big part of their plans going forward, too, if you catch my drift). But what do you know about how Anthony Mackie came to become Anthony Mackie? Did you know he's worked with notable directors like Michael Bay and Spike Lee? What about coming thiiiiis close to an Oscar nomination in The Hurt Locker? And that's not even to mention the fact that he's already appeared on one of the darkest and most cinematic television series of all time in 2019 (with another one on the way). We know Anthony Mackie-now it's your turn. Here are 10 of our latest cover star's most notable movies.

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James asks Anthony Mackie about his father's roofing business and learns why roofers shouldn't wear a nice Corden differentiates his show by offering viewers a peek behind-the-scenes into the green room, bringing all of his guests out at once Anthony Mackie Takes a Lie Detector Test | Vanity Fair.

Anthony Mackie answers fan questions on stage at the MCM London Comic Con, the Avengers star talks about playing Falcon in the Marvel cinematic universe Anthony also admits he’d love to play X-Men’s Beast or possibly even James Bond, taking the opportunity to show off his British accent skills.

Mackie's film debut came as Papa Doc in 8 Mile. This was such a small role that most don't even remember him in the movie-he was only 24 years old. His role, essentially, is to get roasted real bad in a rap battle by Eminem. But as far as first movies go? You can do worse than getting roasted in a rap battle by Eminem.

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She Hate Me found Anthony Mackie working with a legendary director in Spike Lee, and while the movie didn't exactly land with critics, it was still an important point early in the actor's career. While it didn't make him the next Denzel, as some voices at the time said in his ear, Mackie told Men's Health that the movie's outcome really did affect his purview moving forward.

“It was humbling,” he said in our cover story. “But it informed the way I’ve dealt with my career since: When you buy into celebrity, it can be taken away in an instant.”

This movie plays somewhere between satire and comedy, and could still be worth a late-night watch.

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This is a fun one. One of the first movies anyone saw Ryan Gosling in (he was nominated for an Oscar!), Half Nelson also finds Mackie
showing up as a drug dealer in a father-figure-eque role to one of the kids that Gosling's teacher looks after. It's a challenging role, peppered with numerous shades of grey.

Fun fact: the directing team behind this duo went on to become Mackie's semi co-workers again in the future; they directed Captain Marvel.

Mackie had some major Golden Globe and Oscar Buzz for The Hurt Locker, where he played a member of a military bomb squad. This movie eventually won the Oscar for Best Picture, but Mackie unfortunately came away without a nomination. (The snub led him to take a year off acting!) His Marvel co-star, Jeremy Renner, plays the movie's lead.

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Emmy Nominations 2019: Biggest Snubs and Surprises

Landmark series such as HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and “Veep” came to an end earlier this year, marking the last time the respective drama and comedy awards magnets would be eligible at the Emmys. While it seemed inevitable that those would score a number of noms on the 71st annual ballot, there were a lot of other spaces left up for grabs as previous heavy-hitters such as HBO’s “Westworld,” Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” sat out this year’s race.

This Matt Damon and Emily Blunt starring romance-thriller (it's a fun little genre hybrid) features Mackie in an enigmatic side role. His character is best left as a mystery to the viewers, since that's exactly what he is to Damon and Blunt's characters. Whose side is he on? Find out when you give the movie a watch. Plus, the guy really pulls off that hat, doesn't he?

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The 2019 Emmy Awards nominations are all accounted for, with HBO regaining the top spot with 137 nominations. Netflix, which ended HBO's 17-year streak as the most nominated network, finished with 117 nominations. HBO was buoyed by "Game of Thrones" and the return of "Veep" to Emmy eligibility. "Game of Thrones" landed 32 nominations, which broke the 25-year record set by "NYPD Blue" for most nominations in a single season (26). "Veep" came back after sitting out a year with nine nods, down from the 17 it received in 2017.

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OK. Up front, we're going to tell you: Pain and Gain is directed by Michael Bay. That being said, Pain and Gain is nothing like you'd expect it to be after learning that it was directed by Michael Bay. The king of explosions trades firepower out for pitch black comedy, and Mackie goes full beefcake alongside Mark Wahlberg and a career-best Dwayne Johnson in this extraordinary film.

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Every Anthony Mackie role puts his off-the-charts charisma on display, but this Seth Rogen holiday comedy makes a specific point to show off his super strong comedy skills as well.

This movie is just a blast, and the three main guys (Mackie, Rogen, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) really do feel like three longtime friends (and friends that we'd want to party with, at that).

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Mackie got the role of a lifetime, playing Martin Luther King in this 2016 adaptation of a Tony-award winning play. An HBO movie, All The Way centers on Lyndon B. Johnson (Bryan Cranston) in the aftermath of the JFK assassination, where he tries to get the Civil Rights Act passed-that's where MLK comes in.

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Can't forget the MCU. Mackie has been steadily playing Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, aka Steve Rogers' best friend, since 2014. Maybe the coolest thing about Falcon (among many very cool things) is how his suit, and wingspan, evolve ever-so-slightly with each appearance. And, well, given how a certain series of events played out in Avengers: Endgame, we're particularly excited to see where his story goes in the upcoming Disney+ series, Falcon and Winter Soldier.

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Not a movie, officially, but existing in a vacuum, this is just as much of a standalone on Netflix's platform as something like All The Way is on HBO's, so we're including it.

"Striking Vipers," like most Black Mirror entries, is a stunning story that leaves viewers totally unsure at what's coming next. Mackie's charisma really carries the story here. Black Mirror has gotten a good handful of stars through the years, but Mackie has got to be near the top of their list when it comes to fame, right next to Jon Hamm and Bryce Dallas Howard.