ANTHONY MACKIE & WILL POULTER

The Hurt Locker‘ s Anthony Mackie, 39, and Will Poulter, 24, speak to WHO’S Carly Bass about their film Detroit (out now), detailing the city’s deadly 1967 race riot.

Were you familiar with the riots before you were cast? Poulter No, no. I didn’t know about the rebellion in Detroit, I didn’t know just how many similar events there were throughout America. So many people of colour being mistreated. Mackie I was very familiar with what happened. I have family that moved [there] in 1965–66 for work and my uncle would tell me about the riots, the stuff he had seen. To have one of those men in my family was a huge advantage to building [my] character. How was working with each other? Poulter I knew Anthony’s work from The Hurt Locker and the Marvel universe. He’s a multi-talented guy. Mackie The only thing I knew of Will was We’re the Millers and, well, it was funny. I feel like 99.9 per cent of actors in Hollywood could not do We’re the Millers and this movie. It says a lot about him and his talent.

What do you think of the film? Mackie

I feel like every country has its Detroit, everybody has their Detroit, so it gives you the opportunity to look at it from the outside, and just make the right decision instead of actively making the wrong decision. Poulter We were all aware of the greater purpose, to create something that could affect genuine social change, that could be a politically influential movie. Did you spend time together off-set? Mackie We did. When we would wrap we would all hang out together, have a beer, go to Soulcycle, go out to dinner. Make fun of each other and drink a pint. Poulter It was a chance to get back in contact with who we really are, show it was actually love and respect underpinning this whole experience. I can’t say we would have got through it without Anthony.