Anthony Mackie is no stranger to sharing the screen with Hollywood legends, but he admits he was a bit starstruck by Harrison Ford while filming Marvel’s upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.
“Harrison was the f–ing man, dude,” the actor, 44, told TheWrap in an interview published on Thursday. “It’s funny, he shows up and everybody is kind of, you know, you don’t know what to do with Harrison Ford. Like, ‘Somebody get Harrison water,’ but he wasn’t that at all.”
“I was surprised how light-hearted and easy he was, how excited he was to be a part of it,” Mackie, who’s replacing Chris Evans as the star-spangled superhero, told the outlet. “For him to be in this profession for so many years and to see him at 80 excited to be a part of this universe was really dope and it put things in perspective how lucky we are, how lucky I am to be a part of it and bring these characters to life. So we had a good time.”
Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie on “Captain America: Brave New World” set.
Anthony Mackie Instagram
“It was kind of surreal,” Mackie said of his experience. “But once we got our legs on us and we were like, ‘Oh, Harrison is just a cool dude,’ it made those scenes much easier.”
As previously reported by PEOPLE, Mackie shared the first photo of himself and the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star, 81, on the set of Captain America: Brave New World in June.
Ford and Mackie, who was in character, smiled and pointed at several screens in the behind-the-scenes snapshot, which Mackie shared on Instagram.
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“When Harrison Ford tells you how kicking ass should look, you listen! LoL…,” Mackie wrote in the caption. “Thanks for the on set wisdom and laughs my friend!”
He concluded: “Can’t wait to do it again … Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World in theaters May 3, 2024.”
The news of Ford joining the upcoming movie came out in October 2022. He will play General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross — previously portrayed by William Hurt — who died that March at age 71.
The film, a continuation of the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, is co-written by the show’s executive producer Malcolm Spellman and writer Dalan Musson, with Julius Onah directing.
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Ford and Mackie will star alongside an ensemble cast, including Shira Haas, Tim Blake Nelson and Carl Lumbly, according to Deadline.
Amid the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, it’s uncertain whether Mackie’s Falcon costars Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will join him in the film.
Mackie previously spoke to PEOPLE about why he loves playing Sam, an Air Force veteran who uses his military skills to become Falcon, before taking on the Captain America mantle.
“I love the fact that he’s a normal guy. He has no superpowers, he has no serums and all this stuff,” Mackie said. “He’s just a regular guy who wants to do the right thing.”
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Mackie first appeared as the superhero in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and played the role in seven Marvel Cinematic Universe films, ultimately retiring the character in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame when passing the shield on to Sam.
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“When we first meet him, he’s a counselor for soldiers. Then he’s picked up by Captain America to be an Avenger. And it’s just like, he’s on this whirlwind adventure,” he added. “And the adventure just grows more and more. The discovery of it is something I really enjoy.”
In July 2022, Evans, 42, shot down speculation that he would return as Captain America in the franchise. “It is unclear whether Chris Evans would reprise his role of Steve Rogers, AKA the first Captain America,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote when announcing Onah would direct the next installment. Evans responded in a tweet: “Sam Wilson is Captain America.”
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