5 minutes with Anthony Mackie of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’

How did you feel about being tasked with taking a beloved character’s story in a new direction?

It's an honour because it's a character that’s been around for 81 years — the first time Captain America was on screen was February 5 1944. Eighty-one years later we introduce Sam Wilson. The character is resonant, not just in the US but around the world. He embodies justice, fairness, empathy for all people regardless of who they are. Being able to do this with Anthony Mackie who's a brilliant actor and is going to continue the legacy of Captain America in a way that honours what Chris Evans did while making the role his own. We’re the first big movie of 2025. The whole world gets to come together to celebrate and enjoy. Who better to carry the mantle than Sam Wilson?

Do you feel there are political themes to this story that resonate with audiences in light of the recent events in American politics?

When you tell a story like this, your objective is to make an entertaining, exciting action thriller. Sure, it has undertones that touch on the political, but this is a movie where you have a Captain America with gigantic Vibranium wings and a Red Hulk, so first and foremost it’s made to entertain.

The themes at the centre of this movie, particularly empathy are important to me. I’m an immigrant to the US. I wanted to tell a story about the best America is capable of. I felt a sense of empathy that allowed me to succeed in the US. Knowing that’s a superpower of Sam Wilson was exciting for me to put to the test. Empathy is a universal, human need. It’s a theme that’s going to resonate regardless of what’s happening politically in the world, it’s evergreen. So that’s what I focused on. It was personal to me [and] I thought [it] would resonate with lots of people.

Making any movie is challenging. In this case we discussed, prepared and thought a lot about the themes and the journey we wanted to take the audience on. We worked hard to realise that.