Anthony Mackie offered an emotional salute to two late colleagues during a press day for season 2 of Peacock’s Twisted Metal, calling Malcolm-Jamal Warner “such a beautiful human being” and remembering Andre Braugher as the mentor who first encouraged him on New York stages. The 46-year-old said he is “proud” to have counted Warner as a friend and credited Braugher with showing him how to carry himself in the business.
Warner, forever linked to his role as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show, died on July 20 while vacationing with family in Playa Grande, Costa Rica; authorities ruled the death an accidental drowning. He was 54 and had recently earned a 2023 Grammy nomination for a spoken-word poetry album that signaled a new creative chapter. Cast mates from Fox’s The Resident, where he played Dr. AJ Austin, said they were “beyond heartbroken” by the loss.
Mackie explained that every conversation with Warner felt like “a master class in life” and urged younger performers to be fully themselves around mentors so lessons resonate. He voiced the same advice when reflecting on Braugher, whose disciplined approach to craft he first observed two decades ago.
Braugher died from lung cancer on December 11 2023 at 61, leaving behind a body of work that spanned Homicide: Life on the Street and Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well as two Emmys. Co-star Stephanie Beatriz said the captain’s legacy reminds her to approach colleagues with honesty because “all you really have are those memories.”
Mackie’s remarks came as Twisted Metal rolled out its first three episodes on July 31 and while he readies his next big-screen lead in Captain America: Brave New World, which reached theaters in February. Industry analysts argue that such candid tributes strengthen the bond between legacy television fans mourning Warner and Braugher and the newer streaming audiences now discovering Mackie’s work.
