Josh Brolin Addresses 2004 Diane Lane Domestic Abuse Arrest: 'There's No Explaining It'

After years of relative silence, Josh Brolin is finally speaking out about his 2004 arrest for domestic violence.

“God, I’ve never been so careful with my words. Ever. Maybe in all 50 years,” he told The New York Times about the incident. “And there’s no reason for me to be other than there’s no explaining it. Do you know what I mean? The only person who can explain that would be Diane [Lane], and she’s chosen not to, so I’m O.K. with that.”

Brolin was arrested in 2004 in the West Los Angeles home he shared at the time with Diane Lane, who phoned police claiming that he had hit her. The actor was charged with spousal battery and released after posting $20,000 bail, said Kelly Bush, a spokeswoman for the couple.

“There was a misunderstanding at their home,” Bush told the Daily News at the time, saying that the arrest was “for the lowest-end misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. … Diane did not want to press charges and asked them not to arrest him, but in cases involving the possibility of any physical contact, the police have to arrest first, ask questions later.

Bush added that the two are back together in their home “and are embarrassed the matter went this far.”

The couple remained married for nine more years before filing for divorce in 2013.

While The New York Times noted that Brolin “understands he needs to talk about it,” the actor focused mostly on what he has learned about himself since the arrest. (Lane declined to comment for profile).

“I was more reactive, I was more, ‘People need to know the truth,’ ” Brolin said of his initial reaction to the incident. “Whatever I say [now] is going to sound like compensation for a perpetrator. I’ve gotten to a place where all that matters is that I have control over my behavior, and at that time, it was a little more chaotic.”

In September 2016, Brolin married his former assistant and model Kathryn Boyd, and in late May they announced they were expecting a baby girl with a sweet Instagram post.

“There’s a new sheriff in town and she’s no bigger than a sweet potato. Hang on to your hats,” he captioned a photo series of the mom-to-be showing off her bare baby belly while out on a hike.

Brolin has also had a career year at the box office, starring as Thanos in Avengers Infinity War and as Cable in Deadpool 2. His next film, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, hits theaters June 29.