Marvel star Anthony Mackie reveals Eminem tricked him in ‘8 Mile’: “You’re an arsehole!”
Nowadays, Anthony Mackie is all over the big screen as a star of the Marvel franchise as Sam Wilson/Falcon, most recently starring in Captain America: Brave New World. However, over 20 years ago, he debuted in 8 Mile alongside Eminem in 2002.
During his recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast, Mackie opened up about the final freestyle in the movie. Through B-Rabbit, also known as James ‘Jimmy’ Smith Jr., Em used real-life information against Mackie after tricking him into opening up.
“Eminem is just such a brilliant dude,” he began. “We’re on set one day and he’s like, ‘Yo, it don’t make sense that we beefing.’ I was like, ‘Right.’ He was like, ‘I need something on you.’ So we’re talking, we talk for like two hours, like chilling. I’m like, ‘Alright, man, see you later.’
“I go to the casino, the next day, we’re shooting the battle scene, and that’s why I’m standing there like, ‘You’re talking about me, you’re not talking about Clarence!’ This has nothing to do with the character. You’re an arsehole, Eminem!”
He added, “I’m like, ‘I wanna fight this motherfucker! I’m like, ‘Yes, my parents are still married.'”
Eminem played a dramatised version of himself in 8 Mile, which followed a Detroit rapper’s attempt to launch a career in hip-hop. Mackie starred opposite Em in the role of Clarence, also known as Papa Doc, the leader of the Tha Free World.
Mackie previously starred as Tupac Shakur in the 2009 movie Notorious, which was about Biggie Smalls’s life. He’s also appeared in films like The Hurt Locker and Gangster Squad. Mackie made his Marvel debut in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier before appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame.