Anthony Mackie says he can't watch Chadwick Boseman in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' yet because he'd be too emotional to enjoy the performance

• In an interview with Extra, Anthony Mackie said he can't watch Chadwick Boseman in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" yet because it's too emotional.
• Mackie and Boseman starred together in several MCU films, but actually met back when they were in college.
• Boseman is hotly tipped to earn a best actor nomination for the Netflix movie, and could even win the Oscar posthumously.

Anthony Mackie said he's unable to watch his late friend Chadwick Boseman in the Oscar-tipped "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" because it would be too emotional an experience for him right now.

In an interview with Extra, Mackie said both Boseman and August Wilson's play mean too much to him for him to be able to watch the piece just yet.

Mackie said: "'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' holds a very special place. With the relationship to that ... and my relationship to Chad, I haven't been able to pull myself to the point, emotionally, to be able to sit and take that experience in because I wouldn't be able to watch it for the performance and the art; it would just be too emotional of a process for me."

Mackie starred as Ma's nephew in the 2003 Broadway play on which the movie is based back in 2003, Extra reported.

Mackie and Boseman costarred together in several MCU films as Falcon and Black Panther, respectively, although their relationship actually began much further back when they met in college.

"I met Chad in '98, '99, so I've known him, I knew him for a long time," Mackie told Extra. "What was great about Chad … unlike everybody else today, Chad kept his circle close to his vest. He kept his world very private … That's one thing, one of the things, that we had in common."

Their first Marvel movie together was "Captain America: Civil War," in which the two shared several key scenes together, while they also both appeared in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" features Boseman's final live-action performance, and the late actor is getting a lot of Oscar buzz for his performance in the movie.

Boseman's costar Colman Domingo recently spoke to Insider about the movie and said it felt "like God was in the room" during a pivotal scene that led to Boseman breaking down.

Boseman is hotly tipped to be nominated for and potentially win best actor for the movie, which would be his first nomination in any category. The nomination would make him the seventh actor to receive one posthumously at the Oscars. In fact, Boseman has already started picking up awards this awards season, winning the Actor Tribute Award at the Gotham Awards. His widow, Simone Ledward, accepted the award on his behalf with an emotional speech.

Boseman is also vying for best supporting actor for another Netflix movie: Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods."