Anthony Mackie may have entered movie star status with his latest film, Captain America: Brave New World, but parenting is still his biggest priority.
During a recent appearance on The Pivot, Mackie opened up about raising his kids. “I keep my boys humble. Like my boys have never had a pair of Jordans. My boys don’t do all that internet fly shit,” he said. “I could be the biggest star in the world. Do not let me catch you being stupid.”
He continued, “My oldest gets it, my 15-year-old. He tell the other ones, he’s like, ‘Yo, don’t make dad mad.’ Once you get one that’s right, he’s going to straighten the other ones out.”
Mackie shares four sons with his ex-wife Sheletta Chapita. They finalized their divorce in 2018.
The Avengers franchise actor went on to explain why it’s important to him to build his children’s character — especially in today’s society. “So, it is just that thing of in the past 20 years, we’ve been living through the death of the American male. They have literally killed masculinity in our homes, in our communities for one reason or another. But I raise my boys to be young men.”
Mackie told his sons since they were two years old, they need to always say thank you, open doors for women and take care of their mom. “Every time I left for a job, I tell my 15-year-old, ‘You’re the man of the house. You make sure these doors are locked. Every night this alarm is on. You text me or you call me every night before you go to bed and you wake up.’ I love that because we’re men,” Mackie said.
Mackie believes all the “money” and “celebrity” in the world “means nothing” if he’s not there to protect his family. “So, for me, it’s always that idea of American masculinity is very different.”
The actor debuted on the big screen in 2002’s 8 Mile and has since starred in numerous films including Sam Wilson (a.k.a. Falcon) in the MCU before he was named the new Captain America.