He’s surrounded by gorgeous women every day at work, but there’s only one famous lady for Anthony Mackie when it comes to celebrity crushes: Betty White! The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star, 42, confessed on The Tonight Show that he once met the legendary actress — who turns 99 on January 17 — and it was nothing short of magical. Apparently, the feeling was mutual.
“Betty White is one of the most talented women,” Anthony told host Jimmy Fallon on the January 14 episode while gushing about his love for Golden Girls. “She had her own talk show, she was a professional dancer, actress—she was amazing. Those four women were amazing.” And one day, Anthony’s dream came true. The Avengers: Endgame star was able to meet THEE Betty White in the flesh. He was completely unable to play it cool, despite being a literal superhero.
“I was in New York at this event, and she was there, and I fanboy’d out and ran up to her and was like, ‘Oh, my god, I love you so much! I’m such a fan. Like, the episode when you were tap-dancing was so beautiful,'” Anthony recalled. “So she laughed and touched my face, and she says, ‘Oh, you make me wish I was 40 years younger.'”
Well, how about that! Anthony was a little shocked that the 98-year-old Emmy-winner was so forward. But don’t think he was complaining; despite their 56-year age gap, there wasn’t a second of hesitation in his mind. “And I was like … I would do that,” Anthony told Jimmy, cracking up. “I would do that.”
Regrettably, Anthony and Betty did not become our next favorite celebrity couple. But, can you imagine the headlines? Currently, Betty White is off being fabulous somewhere and celebrating the triumph that is turning 99. Anthony’s new Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, premieres on Disney+ this March.