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  • -Welcome back to the show. -Thank you, sir.

  • -It's great to be here. -Congratulations on this,

  • uh, on this new show.

  • Um, this is an interesting show, Altered Carbon,

  • because it's a show about people

  • who can basically shape-shift and go into other bodies.

  • It's almost like they're traveling through souls

  • and-and human experiences.

  • So, you are playing a character

  • that we know from the first season,

  • but you are new.

  • But now you're playing someone who's being someone

  • who was played by someone else.

  • How do you prepare for that as an actor?

  • You got... Very good!

  • -Yes! -(laughs)

  • So, I started off as Asian.

  • Then I was white. Now I'm black.

  • So, it's, uh, it's amazing. It's, uh...

  • Basically, the story line, if you didn't see season one,

  • is they created these carbon chips.

  • You're able to put your soul and your memory

  • -into these chips. -Right.

  • And the bodies are considered sleeves.

  • So, from planet to planet,

  • solar system to solar system,

  • if you can pay enough,

  • you can have an upgraded, better sleeve.

  • -Right. -Or if you want a security guard who's...

  • Like, in this season,

  • I'm a gadget wizard, kung fu, karate killer

  • with magnetic, killer style, so...

  • (laughter)

  • That's... Watch. When you're watching,

  • you're gonna say, "That dude got magnetic, killer style."

  • So, they took my carbon soul

  • and put it into me

  • -and here I am. -Right.

  • So, when you are playing a character like this--

  • 'cause this world is completely unique--

  • are you trying to think of yourself as the Asian person

  • who was a white person and who's now a black person?

  • Or are you a black person who-who thinks

  • was a previous white person who was an Asian person?

  • You know what, this is a very good question, by the way.

  • Um, no. So, when you watched-- when I watched the first season,

  • I saw what Will and, uh, Joel were doing.

  • They had a certain through line

  • of energy of charisma with this character.

  • -So I had to take that into the second season. -Right.

  • But, in the same way, I had to put my own funk on it.

  • -Right. -You know? 'Cause they could have their style,

  • you know, that subtlety, that aggression,

  • but this is a love story. This is Romeo and Juliet.

  • This is Shakespearean, man.

  • -So I had to bring that. -People have said that about the show.

  • -Yes. -People-people said-- I-I read some of the reviews

  • that really captured your performance,

  • which-which I found really flattering.

  • They-they said, "Anthony Mackie, we know him as the badass.

  • -We know him as the kung fu master guy." -Very angry. Yes.

  • Yes, fighting. And the action sequences are amazing.

  • -I fight a lot. -Right.

  • But what people enjoyed seeing was the softer side of you,

  • -the romantic. -I am a heartless romantic.

  • -I am. I am. -Wait, did you say "heartless"?

  • (laughter)

  • -Yes! Right. No, no! No! No! -(laughing)

  • (cheering and applause)

  • Yes! I am a heartless romantic,

  • because I do not apologize for it!

  • There is no inhibition in my romantices!

  • -Oh! -I gave myself the best Valentine's Day I've ever had.

  • -You-you-- That sounds, uh, interesting. -Hey, hey.

  • It's 2020, baby. It's 2020.

  • You-you know what? I feel like you are that person though.

  • 'Cause I-I remember the-the last time I hung out with you

  • in person, it was after a Justin Timberlake concert.

  • Justin Timberlake. It was a good time. It was a good time.

  • And this is one of the more-- the more interesting

  • conversations I've had with a person.

  • So, it's a loud environment, right?

  • And-and I see Anthony there, and I'm like,

  • "Oh, man. Nice to see you. How are things going?

  • How's everything going?" And then he's like, "It's great.

  • Uh, I'm-I'm-- I just finished building a house!"

  • And then I was like, "I'm sorry?" 'Cause it's loud.

  • You don't think a person said, "I built a house."

  • So I was like, "I'm-I'm sorry, what did you say?"

  • And he's like, "I built a house! The wood and the doors

  • and the..." And I was like, "Is this a metaphor

  • -for Hollywood and your career?" -(laughing)

  • But you-you actually build houses

  • -for fun. -Yeah. Yeah.

  • Like, with your hands.

  • Yeah.

  • -Ex-Explain. -There's-there's something amazing--

  • -Like, so I'm from New Orleans, and... -(whooping)

  • Best city in the world. 504.

  • Slow your roll. Recognize the real.

  • So...

  • Too black too fast. I'm sorry.

  • -So... -(laughter)

  • -(clapping) -Sorry.

  • Back up, back up, back up.

  • So, after Katrina,

  • the devastation of New Orleans was horrific.

  • And there was so much empty space.

  • So much-- So many things were washed away.

  • Like, I don't-- My--

  • I do not exist before 16 years old.

  • -'Cause everything is gone. -Wow.

  • So, now, when I see a piece of grass,

  • I-I think of the family that was there,

  • the history that was there, the house that was there.

  • So, I go, and I buy that grass.

  • And, I build a house on that grass,

  • so that I can afford a family affordable housing...

  • -(applause and cheering) -...and the opportunity

  • to live in a great neighborhood.

  • I don't want all the money from Sara Lee.

  • I just want the money from the moon pie.

  • -(laughter) -You can get the honey bun.

  • That's amazing, I-I-I genuinely didn't...

  • -Yeah. -I thought you just built houses for fun.

  • -No, no, no, no, no. -But, I mean, that's-that's,

  • that's a beautiful reason to build houses,

  • but is there a reason you do it yourself?

  • Well, 'cause I'm a man.

  • (laughter)

  • Right?

  • (applause and cheering)

  • I mean, I don't know, I have, I have a truck

  • and I have tools and I have a tool belt and I have a hammer.

  • And I got, like, tools!

  • And, then there's these big-old stores

  • with a bunch of tools in them.

  • So, I go to the store, and I'm like, "What is that jigsaw bl--?

  • I need that, I need a bandsaw in my garage."

  • -I have on-- -And, then, you go to the pawn shop,

  • and every tool you need is 50% off!

  • (laughter)

  • That's crazy!

  • Let me, let me get this straight though, like...

  • you-you-you have this passion,

  • but it had to have come from somewhere though.

  • -Mm-hmm. -Like, I've, 'cause I've had a truck before in life,

  • -I've had tools, -Mm-hmm.

  • I've once worn a tool belt.

  • At no point did I say, "Yeah, I'm gonna go build a house."

  • -(laughing) -It had to have come from somewhere.

  • No, it came from my dad.

  • My dad was a, uh, contractor.

  • My dad, you know, with his eighth-grade education,

  • raised six kids in a house

  • that, you know, that my mama built.

  • -Right. -You know, and, uh, I was fortunate enough

  • to grow up in a house that my dad built.

  • And, the largest levee break during Katrina

  • was in my dad's backyard.

  • And, um, ever since, like, growing up in that house,

  • you know, when everything went wrong,

  • and the economy went crazy and everything fell apart,

  • every morning, my dad woke up and said,

  • "They can take everything they want.

  • "They can take the cars, they can take everything.

  • -They ain't taking this house." -Wow.

  • And it taught me the importance of having a home.

  • You know, like... to-to use the word "home,"

  • you know, there-there's nothing,

  • there's nothing that compares to that.

  • There's, that's why I live in New Orleans, 'cause...

  • I lived in New York for 12 years-- I loved it.

  • I did New York the way it'll never be done again!

  • I've been fortunate enough to live in, I would say