Anthony Mackie say’s TV is a “job” and how, if he could, he’d “only do theater”

Anthony Mackie, best known for his dramatic roles in Half Nelson and The Hurt Locker, is currently starring in the new actioner, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, as Lincoln’s childhood friend, William H. Johnson.

anthony-mackie-abraham-lincolnAnthony Mackie, best known for his dramatic roles in Half Nelson and The Hurt Locker, is currently starring in the new actioner, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, as Lincoln’s childhood friend, William H. Johnson.

When asked about how he got the part, he told Vulture that he “got a call from Timur [Bekmambetov, director] and he was saying that he wanted me to be a part of it. We had a meeting at a hotel not too far from here and had a long conversation.  I told him that I didn’t wanna be a part of a jokey, campy movie.  With someone like William H. Johnson as well as Abraham Lincoln, if it wasn’t a serious film, if it wasn’t an accurate film, it wouldn’t make sense to be a part of it.”

Mackie noted that while his career is based in film, he’d love to be a part of the theater scene full time. “Yeah, theater is my home away from home,” he said. “If I was Matthew Broderick and I could make money doing theater?  I would only do theater. I love it. I love the instant gratification.  I love being in the Broadway box and being able to have a beer and have conversation with guys in other shows. I love it.”

So is another medium like television in the cards?  Mackie admitted, “I would love to produce TV.  I did one episode of Law & Order and it was the hardest job I have ever—I was like, ‘I might as well get a job at McDonalds.  This is the hardest job in the world.’  The hours, playing the same character over and over; it’s just difficult.  TV, you get compensated extremely well, but at the end of a day it is a job, and you have to forfeit every other aspect of your life for nine months.”

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is in theaters now.

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