Yahoo Lifestyle Theo James And Anthony Mackie Revealed How Becoming Real-Life Daddies Ultimately Changed Their Careers
Theo James and Anthony Mackie are living in their dad era, and now they're forever changed.
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For Off Script with the Hollywood Reporter, the two leading men sat at a star-studded table alongside other TV comedy actors Ricky Martin (Palm Royale), John Goodman (The Righteous Gemstones), Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live), and Kelsey Grammer (Frasier).
Theo recently starred as Eddie Horniman in Netflix's The Gentlemen, a TV adaptation of Guy Ritchie's 2019 film of the same name.
But who can ignore Theo's unforgettable turn as Cameron in Season 2 of The White Lotus?
Anthony recently starred in Peacock's Twisted Metal, a TV adaptation of the video game series of the same name.
But he's truly made a name for himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sam Wilson, aka The Falcon.
While Theo and Anthony give off major daddy vibes on the silver screen, their real-life daddy duties have become the driving force of their careers.
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After Ricky Martin shared with the table of superstars how he ended a tour early to take care of his health, the question was asked if there was a moment any of the actors were like, "I'm doing this for me now." Anthony and Theo's answers were strictly all about fatherhood.
"Kids helped that for me. You're selling a product — yourself, in some ways — especially when you're starting out," Theo responded. "But having kids, you realize that some of it doesn't matter."
Theo is a dad to a daughter, 2, and a son, born last year, with his wife, actor Ruth Kearney.
"Because when I was a young actor, I was rather hungry. I'd jump from job to job and fucking all that stuff. But I don't want to take our kids out of school just because [a job] seems sexy at the time. Obviously stopping taking all the Class A drugs helped as well. I'm joking," Theo continued.
"My kids changed a lot for me, dude," Anthony added. "Now, as they get older and I'm working so much, it's a dangerous negotiation."
Anthony is a dad to four kids he shares with his ex-wife, Sheletta Chapital.
"My dad dropped out of school in eighth grade. My mom went to a Negro-appointed high school. I left home with $435. So, I want to give my kids the opportunity of leaving home with the advantage that all my [Juilliard] classmates had when I got to school. I had a classmate who backpacked across Europe for a year after high school. I was like, 'How the hell? That's a thing?' Coming from New Orleans, every day was an idea of, how are you going to eat?"
"Looking at my kids, I'm like, I never want them to experience the struggle," Anthony said. "I want them to know what it takes that the regular American man experiences trying to put a meal on the table, but I don't want them to have the struggle. You're going to have to fight for it, especially with all this Marvel shit."
"I have four boys. I tell my boys, I'm like, 'Yo, I'm the coolest mother. … I'm the dad everybody wants.' And my sons don't watch Marvel movies. They have no idea. I'll FaceTime Sebastian [Stan]. I'm like, 'Yo, man. Say what's up to my son.' And my son's like, 'Hey?' They don't [care]. To them, I'm Dad."
Watch the full episode of Off Script with the Hollywood Reporter below.
