The Agency's Posts

Movies that Tony Scott left behind: The filmmaker was developing projects, including a 'Top Gun' sequel. Their futures are unknown.....
Read More>

Late Night: Meryl Streep is game for Jack Nicholson (just playing): Meryl Streepmight be one of the world’s most acclaimed performers, but that doesn’t....
Read More>

'Expendables 2' beats out 'ParaNorman,' 'Sparkle,' 'Timothy Green': "The Expendables 2"may have knocked out the competition at the box office this....
Read More>

Take Two Explosions and Call Me in the Morning: Just when you think the action-hero-filled“Expendables 2”has forgotten that this....
Read More>

Feverishly Pursuing a Nondigital Chase: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Dodges Traffic in ‘Premium Rush’ IT took a lot of nerve for....
Read More>

'Smash' to deliver a 'Will & Grace' reunion in Season 2: Well, you can't blame NBC for trying. With the Broadway-focused musical series"Smash&quo
Read More>

Snoop Lion: 'La La La' and a rapper's transition into reggae: What's a reggae song without the lingo? What's a lion without a roar? These and other mystical....
Read More>

Television review: Matthew Perry is best thing about 'Go On': The new NBC sitcom starring the former 'Friends' star as a Type A sports talk radio host show has....
Read More>

Review: 'Total Recall' insists you won't believe it: 'Total Recall' has a believable lead in Colin Farrell, but the rest of it, though fun at times,....
Read More>

She's Everything He Wants, and Therein Lies the Problem: Ruby Sparks, Written by and Starring Zoe Kazan "Ruby Sparks" stars Paul Dano and....
Read More>

Giving a Voice to a Big-Picture Thinker: Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry, on the Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei, right, in the new film of his....
Read More>

Timid Close Encounters of the Small-Town Kind: The Watch, With Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn From left, Jonah Hill, Ben Stiller, Richard....
Read More>

Meet the Murderer, the Best of a Bad Lot: Killer Joe, Directed by William Friedkin Matthew McConaughey in "Killer Joe."....
Read More>

The Fretful Birth of the New Western: Kirk Douglas in “Lonely Are the Brave” (1962), adapted from a novel by Edward....
Read More>
Anthony Mackie-Sugar Ray Leonard bromance blooms
Posted on: 10/09/11
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

A big Hollywood production can make for strange bedfellows. "Real Steel," the Hugh Jackman fighting-robot movie that opens this weekend, made a truly odd one: it cemented a bond between Sugar Ray Leonard and Jackman co-star Anthony Mackie.
 
How did the classically trained actor and world-champion boxer come to meet? Leonard was training "Steel" star Hugh Jackman and choreographing the film’s robot fights when the two struck up a relationship.
 
“After talking to him, he’s kind of one of the nicest guys that you would think about punching you in the face over and over again,” Mackie told 24 Frames at the “Real Steel” premiere on Sunday. (You can watch video of the interview below.)
 
The actor also read Leonard’s memoir, “The Big Fight," and it made him realize that the boxer’s life would make "an amazing movie" in which he'd like to star.
 
Leonard, who has had a bit of an on-screen career himself (he appeared as himself in “The Fighter” last year, for instance), returned the favor by endorsing a Mackie portrayal. “That would be awesome," he said.
 
Mackie has spent the past five years developing a film about another iconic black athlete, Jesse Owens. Though the project may not be making its way to the big screen at the speed of an Olympic sprinter, Mackie still has hopes for the project, calling Jonathan Demme his "dream" director.
 
Mackie, who has expressed frustration before about the scarcity of roles for black actors in Hollywood, is hoping an independent film like the Owens biopic could allow him greater freedom than a conventional Hollywood production. Known for indie roles in films such as "Half Nelson" and "The Hurt Locker," Mackie is taking a step into a studio realm: in addition to "Steel," he has roles in upcoming big-budget pictures such as  “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and “Gangster Squad.”



COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal