13 Things We Learned About Josh Brolin (and 'The Goonies') From His Reddit Chat
Josh Brolin was online and “over caffeinated” Thursday morning as he answered fan questions on Reddit. Sure, it’s a day before Sin City: A Dame to Kill For comes out in theaters, but Brolin seemed more interested in talking about his first film — the 1985 fantasy-adventure The Goonies — as well as other highlights from his nearly three-decade long film career.
The 46-year-old reveled in the randomness of his live commentary, covering topics ranging from Patricia Arquette’s underarms to Christian Bale’s uncanny resemblance to his actor, father James Brolin. He even weighed in on his famous stepmother Barbra Streisand, though we’re not quite sure what he meant by [sic] “hashtag: yentl,” referencing her critically acclaimed 1983 drama. As we think on that one a bit, here are 13 highlights from Brolin’s zany online conversation:
1. Brolin may love The Goonies more than life itself.
"I’ve never had more fun on a movie," he wrote, saying it remains his "greatest experience." As for that kiss with co-star Kerri Green: It was "wet."
2. The film’s pirate ship was kept secret.
Filmmakers intended to capture an “organic reaction” when the young Goonies cast first saw the big pirate ship, “which would now be CGI,” Brolin observed. “I turned around and said, ‘Holy sh—!’ which ruined the whole take. And the surprise. So we had to resort to acting in the end.”
3. Spielberg set Brolin straight.
Since it was his first gig in front of the camera, Brolin ruined a lot of takes with giggles and nerves. At one point, he recalled he tried to get artsy, telling Steven Spielberg he wanted to climb the tunnel walls because it “represents my mother’s womb.” Spielberg’s response: “Why don’t you just act.”
4. ‘Goonies never say die. And I am a Goonie.’
Brolin evoked the famous Goonies line when a Reddit user dared to question whether he has ever, indeed, said “die.” Brolin added that it was “an invalid question.”
5. Tommy Lee Jones’s glare is grittier than grits.
Brolin has appeared with Tommy Lee Jones in a few different movies — so, understandably, some Jones-related jokes bounced around the forum. The Sin City actor confirmed the above as well as went along with a Men in Black 3 gag. “How many hours a day did you practice making your face extra weathered and wrinkly?” asked one fan. Brolin answered, “I have been practicing my whole life.”
6. President George W. Bush kind of liked Brolin’s impression.
President Bill Clinton gave President G.W. Bush a DVD of W, the 2008 Oliver Stone biopic in which Brolin played the titular pres. As Stone later told Brolin, Clinton reported to the director that Bush thought Brolin’s rendition was “funny, but kind of sad.”
7. Expect more Thanos.
Brolin says he spent one day recording the voice of Thanos for Guardians of the Galaxy, and is confident we’ll see more of him. “When I was at Comic-Con, I realized the great rivalry between Robert [Downey Jr.] and myself; and so did Marvel. So I think they have big plans for Thanos in the future.”
8. Brolin can’t crack the mystery that is the Coen Brothers.
Sure, he’s appeared in multiple Coen Brothers films, including 2007’s No Country for Old Men and the forthcoming Hail, Caesar! But the two Oscar-winning writer-directors remain an enigma to Brolin to this day. “I went out to dinner with [Ethan Coen] at one point,” Brolin wrote, “and I caught him looking down a little too often and then realized that he had brought a book to dinner.”
9. The coolest thing any Brolin has done is…
…his dad’s cameo in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (the actor agreed with this when prompted by a fan.) Well, that, and James Brolin’s cop role on the ’60s-era Batman series: “That’s where he met my mom, who was a casting director,” Brolin wrote. ”They were married 12 days later.”
10. Thrashin’ is his daughter’s favorite.
For Thursday’s online discussion, Brolin’s 21-year-old daughter Eden was with him in Albuquerque, N.M., while he was on a break from filming the forthcoming drama Sicario. When she said her favorite films of her father’s are No Country for Old Men and Thrashin’, she added, “It makes me laugh all the time, because your hair changes in every scene.” Brolin recalled his botched audition for the skateboarder role, his second movie after The Goonies: “I hit a pebble, my skateboard went out into the street, and an 18-wheeler ran over it. The only reason I got the part was because The Goonies poster was up at the time.”
11. Chamillionaire lyric is a family joke.
It’s a fun pastime in the Brolin household to switch-up Chamillionaire’s “rollin” lyric from his 2005 hit Ridin: “They see me Brolin. They hatin.”
12. He reached for the record.
Brolin’s IAmA intro may be, as he claimed in Thursday’s forum, “the longest monologue in Reddit history.” A self-proclaimed lover of all things absurd, he launched the discussion with “I’m Josh Brolin and I have no idea what I’m doing here.”
13. Patricia Arquette’s armpit tastes like…
Brolin licked the Boyhood actress’s underarm in the 1996 comedy Flirting With Disaster. It tasted like “roll-on,” he confirmed.
Photo credits: Josh Brolin/Twitter, Warner Bros., MGM, Miramax Films
