Anthony Mackie Says Watching Chadwick Boseman in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ Would Be ‘Too Emotional’

On-screen, they were Avengers together, but off-screen, Anthony Mackie and Chadwick Boseman were good friends.

Mackie opened up about his late friend to “Extra’s” Nate Burleson while promoting “Outside the Wire” with co-star Damson Idris.

Mackie explained, “I met Chad in ‘98, ’99, so I've known him, I knew him for a long time… What was great about Chad… unlike everybody else today, Chad kept his circle close to his vest. He kept his world very private… That's one thing, one of the things, that we had in common.”

He went on, “Our time at work was our time at work, but our time at home was our time at home, and we didn't allow the two to cross because that's what keeps you grounded. That's what you know if you look at the relationship he had with his wife, you look at the relationship he had with his family. You know, Chad and I we were country boys… You come home and, you know, your mama make them collard greens and cornbread, ya know? She make them smothered turkey wings, some potato salad. That's home.”

Many are saying “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” on Netflix, Boseman’s final project, could land him a posthumous Oscar. Mackie starred as Ma’s nephew in the 2003 Broadway revival of the show. “I haven't seen it yet,” he said of the Netflix movie. “’Ma Rainey's Black Bottom’ holds a very special place… With the relationship to that… and my relationship to Chad, I haven't been able to pull myself to the point, emotionally, to be able to sit and take that experience in, because I wouldn't be able to watch it for the performance and the art; it would just be too emotional of a process for me.”

Anthony and Damson also talked about their own Netflix project “Outside the Wire.” In the movie, they play partners, and Mackie is an AI, while Idris is human. Anthony told Nate, “It's a futuristic journey of two soldiers trying to save the world from a bad guy in search of nukes.”

Damson shared what he hopes people will take away from the movie, saying, “I want them to really assess our relationship with technology going forward. This is a reality that could actually happen in our reality. And I think it's important that we understand our relationship with the casualties of war. Those are the small informative things I want the audience to see, but above all things, I want them to have a good time.”