Anthony Mackie, the star of the upcoming 2025 film "Captain America: Brave New World," acknowledges that luck has played a significant role in his career, despite years of hard work and dedication. The 46-year-old New Orleans native estimates that he invested "10,750 hours of training" before landing the role of Sam Wilson in 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," a role that many consider his big break. Mackie's journey underscores the blend of preparation and chance that often defines success in Hollywood's competitive landscape.
Mackie’s eventual rise to becoming the new lead of the “Captain America” film series in 2025 was anything but sudden. He graduated from the acclaimed Juilliard School in 2001. Since then, he has continued to grow his craft by starring in various on- and Off-Broadway productions. He starred in award-winning independent films, most notably the Academy Award-winning “The Hurt Locker” in 2008. Despite these successes, Mackie experienced the same hardships that most young actors go through when trying to make it in Hollywood.
Yet before Mackie landed his life-changing role, he was an actor for more than a decade. He actively pursued a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, writing letters to executives at Disney's Marvel Studios more than a decade ago. When that chance finally came, Mackie said he was the first to get a little nervous.
I had to lean on those teachers and the people around me who got me to that point. - Anthony Mackie
What pushed Mackie to join the MCU was his love for the directors. He believed that it was an opportunity that he could not afford to pass up. He is hardly the only successful person to credit success to the whims of fortune.
There's also a factor of luck that comes into this thing. - Charlie Munger
Mackie’s outlook is a familiar one among high-achieving folks ready to give credit to the fickle fortune that defines success.
As it turns out based on scientific research, lucky people tend to have some things in common. They remain hopeful and resourceful in the worst of situations, often against all odds.
They're optimistic. Even when they find themselves in bleak circumstances, 'lucky' people recognize that things 'could have been far worse'. - Richard Wiseman
Fortunate people are curious, adventurous and willing to follow where opportunity leads, putting them in position to make important connections and have unexpected breakthroughs.
They always jump at new opportunities. Lucky people display an openness and adaptability that puts them in situations to network and make new connections, according to Wiseman. - Richard Wiseman
Mackie’s story is a testament to the power of being prepared, but even more so, of being ready when opportunities present themselves. Mackie was born three years before current NBA owners Mark Cuban. In all of this, we see how talent, effort, and luck mingle together to create exceptional accomplishments, and indeed Bart’s success rests on all three of those factors.
