Anthony Mackie believes kids are being taught the wrong lesson about working hard for success. The Captain America: Brave New World star argues that “success is given, not earned.”
Mackie recently joined the Pivot Podcast, where he discussed how luck, relationships, and hard work play major roles in achieving success.
“We are lying to our kids,” Mackie said. “We tell [them]…if they do right and they make the good grades, and they go to the programs, they will become successful. ‘If you work hard enough, your work will [pay off].’ And that’s not true.”
Mackie further explained that, in many cases, “Success is given, not earned.”
Mackie certainly put in the effort before landing his career-changing Marvel role, but luck also played a key part. The Notorious star had been acting in Hollywood for 10 years before securing the role of Sam Wilson in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier
.His big break came years after he graduated from The Juilliard School in 2001. He performed in both on- and off-Broadway productions and Academy Award-winning films like The Hurt Locker (2008). Despite his experience and his educational pedigree, Mackie struggled to make a major breakthrough in Hollywood.
In 2023, he estimated that he had “put in 10,750 hours of training” before landing his
life-changing MCU role. However, he was also proactive, writing letters to executives at Disney’s Marvel Studios more than a decade ago, hoping for a part in one of their superhero films.The letters didn’t immediately lead to any roles, but Mackie eventually secured a meeting with directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who offered him a part in an upcoming film, though they couldn’t share many details at the time.
Mackie agreed, and the rest is history. But he doesn’t attribute his success to hard work alone—luck played a role, too.
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