Actor Anthony Mackie is using his platform in Hollywood as an avenue to address societal issues. While promoting his new projects in Australia this week, Mackie—who plays the role of Falcon in the Marvel series—said the opportunity to be a part of the comic book franchise gave him the visibility needed to work on other projects that have impactful messages, the Daily Mail reported.
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His film “Detroit” delved into the tumultuous race riots that took place in the city in 1967. Although the riots occurred five decades ago, that era of history still holds significance as race relations throughout the country remain strained. Mackie, 39, said that his involvement in the Marvel project opened the door for him to bring stories like “Detroit” to the silver screen.
“The Marvel thing is just like icing on the cake, once you get into one of those universes, it just feeds you and allows you other opportunities that you usually wouldn’t be garnered if you weren’t in that universe, like this movie,” said Mackie. “Talking to (co-star) John (Boyega), he is in “Star Wars” and I am in Marvel, it gives us a certain amount of chips so to use those chips for a story like this, it is a worthwhile means to an end. You just try to use it the right way and play it correctly.”
“Detroit” depicted the Algiers Motel incident where three Black men were fatally shot by police officers who were not held accountable for what they did, according to the Daily Mail. Some of the events captured in the film mirror the uprisings that we’ve witnessed in this day and age in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston. “There are a lot of people working very hard to ensure that things are fairer and that equality is going to become a reality for people of color but it hasn’t entirely. It is still only available to a select few,” Mackie told the news outlet. He also added that he hopes to see a drastic change within our country.
In the film “Detroit,” Mackie stars alongside actors Jason Mitchell and Algee Smith. It was directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
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Anthony Mackie Tackles Racism Through Superhero Role was originally published on newsone.com
