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Anthony Mackie is currently a leading star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his character, Sam Wilson, is set to play a major role in the franchise’s future. However, the movie that truly changed his career trajectory was Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-winning war film,The Hurt Locker. Mackie had a supporting role in the film, playing Sergeant Sanborn. However, he almost lost the role due to another “awful” director’s unreleased film.
While Mackie was held up in the other film, Bigelow approached another big star for Sanborn, only to be turned down by him. She eventually came back to Mackie and his role in the film received critical praise, bringing him to the forefront of Hollywood.
Anthony Mackie Almost LostThe Hurt LockerRole To Another ‘Awful’ Director’s Movie
Anthony Mackiehad an intense experience, playing Explosive Ordnance Disposal team Sergeant Sanborn inThe Hurt Locker. He starred alongsideJeremy Renner‘s Sergeant William James in Kathryn Bigelow’s film. The role was a huge turning point in Mackie’s life, but there was a time when he thought he almost lost the role.
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During a recentActors on Actorssegment on Variety, Mackie shared with Tyler James Williams the story of how he eventually landed the role. Mackie shared thatKathryn Bigelowinitially wanted him to play one of the other soldiers, but Mackie explained how the war wasn’t about race. He shared with Williams onVariety’sActors on Actors:
When I met with Kathryn, they wanted me to play one of the other soldiers, and I explained to her how war wasn’t about race; they’ll kill you whatever you look like. She saw what I was implying.
He further revealed that he was tied up in another movie at the time with an“awful”director, whose first name was Dan. The movie dragged on for more than six months, during which Mackie was supposed to go and doThe Hurt Locker. Bigelow almost gave up on him and told him that they could work together in the future. Mackie shared:
And I was doing this movie that never came out with this awful director — his name was Dan, I won’t say his last name — and we go over by six months. I was supposed to leave to do Hurt Locker. Kathryn was like, ‘I’m sorry. Maybe the next one.’
Luckily for Mackie, the actor whom Bigelow approached turned down the role due to low pay. Bigelow came back to him and was willing to make some adjustments for theCaptain America: Civil Waractor. He shared:
So they go and offer it to another actor, and he said no. So they came back to me like, ‘Look, we’ll wait, if you leave the day you wrap.’ That movie literally started my career, because one dude said it wasn’t enough money.
Mackie went on to make a significant impact in the movie and impressed the director. He worked with her again in the 2017 filmDetroit. When Bigelow andDetroitcame across their discussion, Mackie and Williams recalled working together in the film.
The Hurt LockerLaunched Anthony Mackie’s Big Hollywood Dream
WhenThe Hurt Lockerwas released the same year as James Cameron’s epic filmAvatar, no one expected such a small film tograb away the Oscarfrom the veteran director’s film. The film was a major critical success with many critics hailing it as the best movie of 2009 and one of the best movies of that decade (via Time).
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Jeremy Renner’s name stood out in the award circles, but critics also praised the performance of Mackie as Sanborn. The role gave theBlack Mirroractor his necessary break in Hollywood. Before the role, he appeared in minor roles in films like8 MileandMillion Dollar Baby. The film gave him his superhero role in the MCU, along with other critically acclaimed works likeSebergandSynchronic.
The Hurt Lockeris now available for streaming on Plex.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
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Anthony MackieKathryn Bigelow
