Was Anthony Mackie in the right to say he would ‘absolutely not’ take a photo with a fan?

Anthony Mackie is Marvel’s Captain America, picking up the shield after Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers handed it to him in an emotional moment following the events of Thanos’ snap and trying to reverse the damage that changed them all on a fundamental level. 

Becoming Captain America comes with a slew of responsibilities, not just for the character, but also for the actor who plays them; you’re stepping into a realm of portraying a superhero, which means knowing that children will see you as such. Children don’t differentiate between the actor and the character the way adults do…er…should, and it’s not unheard of for a child to excitedly go up to their favorite celebrity and ask for a picture or a video. In most cases, it’s a sweet moment of adoration, and a core memory is made with a quick smile and snap of a picture. 

So when a video of Mackie saying no to a fan asking for a photo went public, mixed feelings flooded the comments and retweet section of X (formerly Twitter). The post saw Mackie speaking to a woman who was asking for a photo and was told no.

While polite, he did decline the picture, but a few things were immediately apparent: someone was recording without his knowledge or permission, and he was in some type of social situation — he wasn’t in a space to meet fans.

Despite being a public figure with a position that draws in children and adults, he isn’t required to take a picture just because he’s asked. One of the most fundamental life rules that we’re taught, even as children, is that no means no, and we’re not entitled to the space that someone else is existing in just because we’d like to be.

For many fans, it would feel like a dream to stumble upon Mackie at some social event, but a hello and a slight wave or nod of the head might have made the encounter more memorable for everyone involved.

Evans, the MCU’s first Captain America, shared that he’s always struggled with the idea of being famous and that red-carpet events would give him severe anxiety; it almost ended his career before it took flight. Even though actors and actresses go into roles knowing people will likely recognize them as such, it doesn’t mean that the road is always easy for them. 

We’re not putting a diagnosis of anxiety onto Mackie; in fact — we’re not sure why he said no in the first place, but it’s important to remember that celebrities are just people with a job in the public realm; they’re no different than we are on a fundamental level. 

This means they’ll have days when they’re “on,” days when they’re feeling a little blue, and during periods when they’re “off the clock,” they’ll likely want to take full advantage of that. When you clock off at the end of the day, you won’t answer every work-related call or message until your next shift — unless you know something big is on the horizon or you’ve offered to make yourself available. 

Mackie might have been existing in a public space, but he wasn’t there as Captain America; it wasn’t a Marvel event, and he didn’t say “no” and storm off like some mega-diva; in fact, when an account on Instagram shared more of a backstory into the situation with Mackie, many took the actor’s side. The tweets highlighting the stories posted by the woman involved have since been deleted, but they can be summarized as this: a woman approached Mackie and was told that he wouldn’t take a picture with her son. She shared the news with someone attending the event with her, and that person decided to take the child over to Mackie to see if he would reconsider.

That’s right; the video shared comes during the second attempt of Mackie being asked to take a photo; the recording wasn’t made with his permission, and the people involved told the children who was in the VIP area of the event they were part of, the kids didn’t notice Mackie or recognize him until it was brought to their attention.

When the boy went over recording on his phone, he was likely excited — we’re not taking that away from him at all. As we said above, it’s a great feeling to be sharing space with someone you admire, but Mackie had already delivered a no to taking a photo, and it wasn’t fair to try to change his mind by changing the company of who was involved in the ask.

We get why it might seem disheartening to hear about an actor turning down a special opportunity with a child, but the circumstances on this one are a little different than a chance encounter, and the fact that he had to say no so many times to so many versions of the question is a bit disheartening too. Mackie is a person, and who knows if, after one photo opp, many requests wouldn’t have immediately followed?

While he didn’t owe anyone an explanation, this tweet offers one; he might have something in a clause that says he can’t take photos with minors with a drink or cigar in his hand.

In addition to politely declining the photo, he does thank the woman and remains kind throughout the interaction, even though his first “no” wasn’t respected.

All in all, it’s important to remember that celebrities are just like us, and despite a slew of public attention being pointed in Mackie’s direction right now, he’s not wrong for wanting to enjoy an event without the added pressure of being a public figure at one.