Anthony Mackie credits himself for ‘white’ costars’ fame, award nominations

Anthony Mackie brought humour and honesty to his recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where the conversation kicked off with a celebration of his recent Emmy nomination. 

Mackie earned the nod for his guest performance in Seth Rogen’s Apple TV+ comedy series The Studio, and while he was on set when the news broke, his first reaction was shaped by past experiences.

“I’m on set… and I look over and everybody’s like ‘Congratulations!’ And I was like, ‘Oh, what white dude got nominated?’” Mackie joked. 

“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! I’m like, if you want to get nominated, I’m the dude. You know what I mean?”

The comment was a candid nod to what he’s seen play out over his career, a pattern of being overlooked while his white co-stars receive critical acclaim. 

He starred alongside Ryan Gosling in 2006’s Half Nelson, which landed Gosling an Oscar nomination. 

He appeared with Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker, which earned Renner a best actor Oscar nod and won best picture. 

Mackie also portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in HBO’s All the Way, opposite Bryan Cranston’s President Lyndon B. Johnson, Cranston earned an Emmy nomination for his role. 

Most recently, Mackie worked with Ron Howard on The Studio. This time, however, the recognition finally came his way too.

He’s now one of four guest actors from The Studio nominated for an Emmy, alongside Ron Howard, Bryan Cranston, and Dave Franco. 

The series itself made Emmy history by picking up 23 nominations, the most ever for a freshman comedy, and tied the record for the most nominations for a single season of a comedy series.

Mackie appeared on the show to promote season 2 of Twisted Metal, but it’s clear that this moment of recognition for The Studio is one that feels particularly meaningful.