Marvel’s Anthony Mackie recalls time Will Smith punched him in the face: ‘He hit me with a right cross so hard’

‘He’s an angry human being,’ joked Mackie about the playful mishap

Marvel star Anthony Mackie has recalled the details of a mishap that ended with Will Smith punching him in the face.

Mackie, who portrays Sam Wilson aka Falcon in the MCU, opened up about a misunderstanding that occurred between himself and the Hollywood star at Smith’s 50th birthday party in 2019.

The 42-year-old told The Jess Cagle Show that he had been starstruck to see the Men in Black actor at the party in Budapest.

He said: “I’m on stage with Will Smith doing a concert. I’m losing my mind. Right?

“So the cake comes out, we bring the cake out, Will Smith sees me and he goes, ‘Hey, Anthony Mackie.’ I’m like, ‘Will Smith knows my name.’”

The actor continued to explain how the accident came about as a result of a miscommunication. He said: “So, I go to like high five. I don’t know what I was trying to do, but like I was trying to hug him and he thought I was coming in for like a high five.

“So, he like tried to grab my arm and he punched me in the jaw so hard. Like he hit me with a right cross so hard.”

Mackie went on to recall the conversation between himself and Smith following the mishap, explaining: “Then he grabbed me and he’s like, ‘you’re good?’ I was like, ‘I think so. I think we’re in a fight, are we in a fight?’ He’s like, ‘no, no, I’m sorry.’”

The actor joked that Smith is “an angry human being”.

“Will Smith punched me in the jaw,” said Mackie. “He’s an angry human being. I know he meant to do it, there is no way you mess up a hug with a punch in the jaw.”

Mackie is set to lead Marvel’s forthcoming series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which has been delayed indefinitely following its initial release date of August 2020.

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Marvel recently debuted its first TV show WandaVision on Friday 15 January. 

The show, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, has been received well by both fans and critics. You can read The Independent’s four-star review of its first two episodes here.