Captain America: Brave New World star Anthony Mackie revealed the biggest challenge in making the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe installment: working with the legendary Harrison Ford.
Speaking to Inverse to promote his role on Peacock's Twisted Metal series, Mackie recalled how overwhelming it was to act alongside the Indiana Jones icon, who replaces the late William Hurt as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. "The first day was so intimidating," Mackie said. "I was so f*cking nervous I couldn’t remember my lines. He’s Harrison f*cking Ford. There is this aura about him. But he dispels that really quickly because he’s such a cool guy. He’s everything a movie star should be. He would say, 'Let’s shoot this piece of sh*t.' And everybody was like, 'Yeah, let’s shoot this sh*t.'"
This was not Mackie's first encounter with Ford. In 2003, the then-unknown star who made his mark in 2002's 8 Mile had a small role in Ford's buddy cop comedy Hollywood Homicide. Twenty years later, the actors got to know each other better, making for natural chemistry on camera. "We spent a good bit of time together," Mackie recalled. "Ross and Cap have always had that relationship, where they were friends and they respected each other, but they always bumped heads. That’s their relationship in the storyline."
The MCU's Brave New World
Ford was announced as the new General Ross in 2022 following the untimely passing of Hurt to prostate cancer in March of that year. While plot details are unknown beyond Sam Wilson (Mackie) embracing the mantle of Captain America, rumors have been speculating about Ford's General Ross turning into Red Hulk just like his Marvel Comics counterpart. Ford has played coy about the rumor by asking the question "What is the Red Hulk?"
Captain America: Brave New World was retitled from its original subtitle of New World Order during production. In addition to Mackie and Ford, the film will feature the MCU returns of Liv Tyler as General Ross' daughter Betty Ross and Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns/The Leader. Both actors were last seen in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Despite all the Hulk tie-ins suggesting a big MCU spectacle, production designer Ramsey Avery says Brave New World will be grounded.
"The intent of this is to be very grounded, to make sure it has that sense of really happening in the world," Avery said. "So it's a different sense in a lot of ways than particularly some of the more recent pieces have been."
Captain America: Brave New World is set to premiere on July 26, 2024.
Source: Inverse