If Anthony Mackie had his way, his “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” character Falcon would looked more like the comic book (think form-fitting costume and a bird sidekick!).
The actor stopped by Access Hollywood Live on Tuesday, where he talked about joining the Marvel Universe and his massive record-breaking movie.
“I wrote them letters and called [Marvel] for five years and they were finally, ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you,’” he told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover about his persistence in landing a role in the comic book movie franchise.
When the actor got the call, he was driving and was stunned.
“I had to pull over, I could not believe it,” he said, explaining he didn’t have to even fight for the role. “I didn’t audition, they called me and said, ‘Yo, Falcon is on the table,’ and I said, ‘Unleash the Falcon!’”
The big screen version of the hero strays from what Marvel fans saw of the character in the comics – a character which Anthony wishes he could have done.
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“I wanted to do Spandex with a bird on my shoulder,” he said, referring to how the character has looked in past incarnations. “They decided to make him more of a military tactical expert so he and Cap can have the relationship they had in the movie.”
Anthony has been blown away with the audience response to the movie, including a few overzealous fan encounters.
“I tried to watch it opening night in New York and I walked in and one guy just started screaming ‘This is a dream!’ So I turned around and walked out,” he said with a laugh.
“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is in theaters now.
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— Jesse Spero
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