The Prank That Wyatt Russell Pulled On Anthony Mackie On The Falcon And The Winter Soldier - Exclusive

It's easy to tell when an actor does a stellar job embodying a role: You just have to look at how different they are out of character. 

In the case of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Wyatt Russell, he couldn't be more different than John Walker, a.k.a. U.S. Agent, a.k.a. Fake Captain America. Despite all of the hate some of the fandom is slinging his way, just have one conversation with the actor, and you'll realize he's a laid-back, kindhearted guy who's always ready to have some fun. Of course, that made him the perfect counterpart to Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes) on the series. The duo is known for their comraderie and on-set shenanigans, and in this respect, it sounds like Russell was a prefect fit for the culture on the show. 

When Looper spoke with Wyatt Russell during an exclusive interview, we expected some stories about how Mackie pranked him. As it turns out, it was the other way around. So, what exactly did Russell and Mackie get up to on set when the cameras weren't rolling?

When you work alongside Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, it's always a blast on set. However, Russell turned the tables on the dynamic duo, solidifying his own title as prank-master general. When we asked if he could share any funny behind-the-scenes moments, Russell didn't disappoint. 

"There [were] a couple," he said. "The one that I really remember is when I ... Obviously I had to look like this — so beard. I had a beard. And I went up to Anthony, and after I had shaved and combed my hair — I had really long hair and a beard — and I went up, and I was like, 'Hey, what's up?' And [Mackie] didn't realize that it was me until I got super close. And as I was doing that, I realized he didn't know. So I pretended I was a fan, [and] that I'd snuck onto [the] set." 

Always one to take advantage of an opportunity to have a good laugh, Russell kept the ruse going: "And so he thought some weirdo fan was going to come up and probably stab him or something ... Until it was like, 'It's me.' And he said, 'Holy God, you don't look anything like yourself.' So that was kind of funny, but I don't know."

Russell's prankster tendencies apparently carry over to interviews. We asked what it was like working with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan, and he trolled us by joking: "It was horrible, and I put it into my contract [that I] should never have to actually be with them on set ever again. So every time you see us together, we're actually not together." 

Of course, he added, "No, I'm kidding. They're the nicest people — [the] nicest guys in the world. I felt so lucky to have been brought into the Marvel world with them. They're just so great. They're just, they're very giving people, and giving actors and all those things that you hear — that's them."

Grateful for his time on the show, Russell said, "I couldn't have had a better time doing it with them. On hard days, Anthony is such a funny person. He can make everybody laugh. He's so funny. Sebastian [is the] same. We had great talks and conversations, and they are just great people. So it's really easy to be hopefully as good as you can be with someone and people like that. They're just, they're great. I love them. They're wonderful people." And Russell is, too.

Fans can see where U.S. Agent's storyline is headed by tuning into The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Fridays on Disney+.