Anthony Mackie brought his signature humor and candor to The Tonight Show, where he playfully addressed his long history of seeing white co-stars earn award nominations while he was overlooked – a streak that finally ended with his surprise Emmy nod for The Studio. “I’m on set… and I look over and everybody’s like ‘Congratulations!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, what white dude got nominated?'” Mackie quipped to Jimmy Fallon. “Because I’m the white dude legend when it comes to nominations and wins. I made Ryan Gosling famous. I made Jeremy Renner famous. I made Bryan Cranston famous. I now made Ron Howard famous!”
The Twisted Metal star’s self-deprecating bit references his uncanny pattern: Gosling’s Oscar nomination for Half Nelson (2006), Renner’s Oscar nod for The Hurt Locker (2008), and Cranston’s Emmy recognition for All the Way (2016) – all films where Mackie delivered equally compelling performances without awards attention. This year marked a turning point as Mackie finally joined the nominees list alongside his The Studio co-stars Howard, Cranston, and Dave Franco for the Apple TV+ comedy, which scored a record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations.
Behind the jokes lies Mackie’s real frustration with awards inequity. He told Esquire earlier this year: “I know I’ve done at least four performances that could have been nominated – if not for a Golden Globe, then an Oscar or an Emmy.” The actor has been particularly vocal about his Hurt Locker snub, revealing to Men’s Health in 2020 that the oversight devastated him: “I had to take a year off of work… That little fucker matters. We try to protect ourselves and say, ‘I’m doing the work for the work.’ But when that happened with ‘Hurt Locker,’ it hurt.”
Now embracing his role as Marvel’s new Captain America, Mackie has reframed his perspective: “Captain America is my Oscar, because I’ve been overlooked so many times in my career.” But with his first major awards nomination finally secured – and The Studio making Emmy history – Hollywood’s longtime “white dude whisperer” might just be entering his overdue recognition era.
The Pop Blog general news and updates, mostly from press releases and conferences.