Anthony Mackie Dubs Himself ‘White Dude Legend,’ Says He Made His White Co-Stars ‘Famous’

It isn’t lost on Anthony Mackie that he often assists his white male co-stars in earning award show nominations.

The Marvel actor sat down with Jimmy Fallon, who congratulated Mackie on his Emmy nod for appearing in Seth Rogen’s The Studio. However, it seems that when Mackie found out, he assumed he had been passed over for one of his white co-stars instead.

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

Mackie has consistently been snubbed by awards voters throughout his career. He starred alongside Gosling in 2006’s Half Nelson, for which Gosling earned an Oscar nomination for best actor. Mackie appeared next to Renner in 2008’s The Hurt Locker, which won Best Picture and landed Renner a Best Actor Oscar nod.

Mackie took on the role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2016 HBO movie All the Way with Cranston as Lyndon B. Johnson, securing Cranston an Emmy nom. For The Studio, Mackie appeared alongside Howard, with both becoming Emmy nominees.

Mackie has publicly lamented being snubbed, telling Esquire earlier this year, “I know I’ve done at least four performances that could have been nominated—if not for a Golden Globe, then an Oscar or an Emmy. Captain America is my Oscar, because I’ve been overlooked so many times in my career.”

He previously revealed he took a year off from acting after being overlooked for a supporting actor Oscar nomination for The Hurt Locker, telling Men’s Health in 2020 that he “put everything” into his performance.

For The Studio, Mackie has been nominated for guest actor in a comedy series alongside Howard, Cranston, and Dave Franco. Rogen’s Apple TV+ series landed 23 nominations this year and has since become the most-nominated freshman comedy ever.