text: Artistry and media reception MacKay cites actors Eddie Marsan and Viggo Mortensen as influences for his work. He credits Marsan as an influence in pursuing acting full-time. MacKay describes acting as being "done ultimately in a very safe environment" and "rooted in some kind of experience". MacKay has been called a method actor by several publications. Flaunt writer Elizabeth Aubrey stated that MacKay's roles are "chosen by a desire to push the boundaries of storytelling, to ask challenging questions about identity, and leave audiences with more questions than answers via stories that start important cultural conversations". The Last Magazine writer Jonathan Shia called MacKay's body of work "notable for both its length and its breadth. The Independent writer Alexandra Pollard wrote that MacKay's roles are tactically "chosen to broaden his perspective on the world" and that he is "clearly intensely thoughtful, in both conversation and in his career".
  Personal life
  In November 2023, Mackay married his long-term girlfriend Doone Forsyth, a makeup artist and hair stylist, with whom he previously had two children. The couple met on the set of 1917.
  In early January 2023, Mackay was one of almost 100 famous figures in the UK to sign a letter to the government in order for them to take "immediate action" against Iran's executions.
  Filmography
  Film
  Television
  Stage
  Audio