Falcon star Anthony Mackie has weighed in on the lack of diversity behind the scenes at Marvel Studios.
Chatting to Snowpiercer‘s Daveed Diggs for Variety‘s ‘Actors on Actors’ segment, Mackie was asked about how he’s “interacting” with the Black Lives Matter movement in his professional life.
“It really bothered me that I’ve done seven Marvel movies where every producer, every director, every stunt person, every costume designer, every PA, every single person has been white,” he explained.
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Related: Marvel star Anthony Mackie praised for “powerful” and emotional Black Lives Matter interview
Mackie went on to note that only one MCU blockbuster had employed a Black producer – Nate Moore on 2018’s groundbreaking Oscar-nominee Black Panther.
“But then when you do Black Panther, you have a Black director, Black producer, a Black costume designer, a Black stunt choreographer. And I’m like, that’s more racist than anything else,” he noted.
“Because if you only can hire the Black people for the Black movie, are you saying they’re not good enough when you have a mostly white cast?”.
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Marvel Studios
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Related: Ghostbusters star missed out on Black Panther role because it was “too small”
On the changes he’d like to see implemented, Mackie shared: “My big push with Marvel is hire the best person for the job. Even if it means we’re going to get the best two women, we’re going to get the best two men. Fine. I’m cool with those numbers for the next 10 years.
“Because it starts to build a new generation of people who can put something on their résumé to get them other jobs. If we’ve got to divvy out as a percentage, divvy it out. And that’s something as leading men that we can go in and push for.”
Earlier this month, Marvel issued a statement pledging to “stand against racism”.
In a tweet, the company stated: “We stand against racism. We stand for inclusion. We stand with our fellow Black employees, storytellers, creators and the entire Black community. We must unite and speak out.”
Its parent company The Walt Disney Company also announced that it had pledged $5 million to support nonprofit organisations advancing social justice.
For more information on how you can support Black Lives Matter, please visit its official website or donate here. Readers can also donate to the UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up To Racism, and the Unite Families & Friends Campaign, which supports those affected by deaths in police, prison and psychiatric custody.
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