Anthony Mackie: 'Hollywood Cares More About Hobbits Than the World In Which They Live'

Do you think the right people have seen it?

I feel like everyone has seen it, and I'm surprised every time I talk to someone in Hollywood and they haven't seen it. I think once Kathryn wins the [Academy] Award for Best Director, once we're nominated for Best Picture, it'll be required watching for the people in Hollywood, you know what I mean? If they don't want to watch the movie, it'll be incentive to watch the movie.

So you've got full confidence that Kathryn will win the Oscar for Best Director?

No question, no question. I believe in what she does and I believe in what she's done. I'm kind of proud to say that I was part of the project that gave a female the Best Director award. I feel like it's way overdue -- there's been enough great films made by women, and she's not going to win because she's a woman but because she made the best movie.

Some people say that she's most notable for making a "man's movie" as a woman. Do you think that's reductive?

I think that's a ridiculous thing to say. I don't know what's a man's movie and what's a woman's movie anymore. There's a whole lot of women who watch UFC -- I don't! [Laugh] The thing about Hurt Locker is that the backdrop is war, but that doesn't make it a man's film. It's a character-driven drama, so women can look at those characters and put themselves in those men's position.

You also have a film called Bolden in the can. What can you tell me about it?

Bolden, when it comes out, is such a phenomenal film because it's set in 1905 in New Orleans, and if you know anything about the history of the United States, New Orleans was the epicenter of culture then. It was the New York of that time. There were so many people coming through there and so many things happening there, that to rebuild that is to harken back to a great time of a city that I'm from. I'm very proud of it and I can't wait to see it.

What is it like to recreate the heyday of New Orleans while the city itself is trying to rebuild?

You know, it was difficult. It was hard, because when we shot that, New Orleans was in a position of turmoil and flux. So many things were going on, and so many things were being falsely reported and presented. Shooting that movie kind of made everybody realize how important it is that New Orleans is rebuilt, and how important it is to American culture.

I know you've been attached to a Jesse Owens biopic for a while now. What's the status of that?

It's interesting. As dynamic and timely as that story would be, you would be surprised by how hard it is to get that film made. We're in a position where we're putting the script together and looking at directors. There's nothing easy about moviemaking, you know?

What's the hardest thing about getting it made?

Trying to convince someone to believe in what you believe in is really difficult. I mean, Jesse Owens changed the face of the world! When Max Schmeling knocked out Joe Louis, everybody thought Hitler was right. Like, "Oh shit, the Germans are winning, maybe Hitler really has created the Gattaca of the world." You know? So when Jesse Owens won all of those medals, he kind of disproved all of that and gave us the courage to go to war. You would think that's the perfect story to be made into a film, but sometimes Hollywood cares more about Hobbits than the world in which they live.

[Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder / WireImage]

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