The 'Indiana Jones' star is making his Marvel debut in 'Captain America: Brave New World.'
Anthony Mackie has had a blast introducing Harrison Ford to the MCU!
Ford is making his Marvel debut as Mackie officially takes up the Captain America mantle in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World -- a new subtitle for the film, which was previously called Captain America: New World Order. The Indiana Jones star is taking over the role of U.S. President Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, who was previously played by William Hurt prior to his death in 2022.
Last month, Mackie shared an on-set picture of the two checking out footage from their scenes, and when the actor spoke with ET's Ash Crossan recently, he admitted that working with the legendary star hasn't quite been what he expected.
"It's been a lot of fun," Mackie shared. "I thought Harrison would be the old curmudgeon, angry dude, but he's not at all. He makes fun of people, he allows people to make fun of him. Whenever he's ready to roll, he's like, 'Let's shoot this piece of sh*t!' And everybody's like, yay, Harrison's ready to shoot!"
"He's a really fun guy," he continued, adding that he hopes to get a chance to party with Ford when the film wraps. "I didn't get a chance to take him out but he's a really fun guy... I'm definitely getting him in them streets."
Before Ford's MCU debut, however, Mackie has another anticipated adaptation on the way -- the upcoming Twisted Metal series, which expands the world of Sony's vehicular combat video game of the same name. Unlike more modern games like The Last of Us and Silent Hill that have adapted their complex lore for the screen, Twisted Metal is a fairly simplistic franchise in terms of storyline. Players pick a vehicle and an arena and engage with other drivers, demolition derby-style, using a variety of weapons they can pick up along the way.
In the 10-episode series, developed by Michael Jonathan Smith, the characters of Twisted Metal get to expand their backstories and do more than just shoot each other up. Mackie plays John Doe, a driver who is tasked with making dangerous deliveries through the lawless wasteland of the post-apocalyptic United States.
"Twisted Metal does not take itself seriously," Mackie noted. "[The game] was literally you picking the person you wanted to shoot at for two minutes and then shooting at them. So we were able to develop the characters and give them backstory and you know, give everybody their own reason for existing and then folding it together and making this world of Twisted Metal."
"It's a ridiculous world. It's an adrenaline-packed world. It's a fun world, even though it's after the apocalypse, it's still the idea of you know, where are we as a society?" he added. "So, you know, when everyone is every man for themselves, you get Twisted Metal."
The series also stars Stephanie Beatriz, Neve Campbell, Richard Cabral, Thomas Haden Church, and pro wrestler Samoa Joe as the embodiment of the game's infamous terrifying clown, Sweet Tooth. (Will Arnett provides the voice.)
Twisted Metal is also big on '90s nostalgia for viewers who grew up with the games, featuring needle drops like Sisqó's "Thong Song" that are sure to call back memories of playing on their first-generation PlayStations.
"The two longest email chains we had was about the music... literally thousands of emails back and forth," Mackie recalled. "Everybody chiming in with music. I wanted to get the Macarena -- the Macarena didn't make it."
Twisted Metal premieres all 10 episodes on July 27 on Peacock.
This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 13, 2023.
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