Josh Brolin Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | GQ

Josh Brolin breaks down his most iconic roles in film, including 'The Goonies,' 'Sicario,' Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thanos, 'Dune,' 'Dune: Part Two,' 'No Country For Old Men,' 'True Grit' and 'Men in Black 3.'
Director: Kristen DeVore
Director of Photography: Matt Krueger
Editor: Robby Massey
Guest: Josh Brolin
Producer: Sam Dennis
Line Producer: Jen Santos
Production Manager: Andressa Pelachi
Production and Equipment Manager: Kevin Balash
Talent Booker: Lauren Mendoza; Dana Mathews
Camera Operator: Nick Massey
Sound Mixer: Cassiano Pereira
Production Assistant: Fernando Barajas; Ariel Labasan
Post Production Supervisor: Rachael Knight
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Rob Lombardi
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
00:00 Josh Brolin's Iconic Characters
00:18 The Goonies
04:12 Sicario
07:15 Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thanos
10:40 Dune / Dune: Part Two
13:01 No Country For Old Men
16:40 True Grit
19:06 Men in Black 3
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[@ru4realzzz]

I'm glad josh brolin also thinks his men in black 3 performance is by far his most technically impressive of his career, it's super underrated.

[@christina_lauren]

Honestly it blows my mind how believable he was, it was no small feat.

[@Missjunebugfreak]

He nailed Tommy Lee Jones' mannerisms spectacularly that I almost forgot it was Josh Brolin at times.

[@JoleneCrowie]

Who could not have been more perfectly cast as a young Tommy Lee Jones.

[@MrGMovieReviews]

Bad movie tho

[@raymondclouston6255]

Agreed

[@kurtdewittphoto]

This breakdown was inevitable.

[@blaster915]

🫰🏼

[@hello7032]

Did Mark Ruffalo tell you this

[@SinisterOL]

And it does put a smile on my face

[@joachimlarsen2k]

And perfectly balanced, as all things should be

[@Marcello_16]

And you should have gone for the head

[@LilyLindgren]

I love the fact that Josh spoke about the Goonies with such enthusiasm. Some actors get annoyed when you bring up a film that ensdures in the hearts of fans but he was like, “Let's go!"

[@carncats07]

Came here to type the same thing, but you beat me to it. I hate it when actors don't want to talk about their early horror or genre films, but listening to Josh reflect on Goonies with such joy was fantastic. Wish more A listers were like him.

[@DavidFlagg202]

You could see his face change for a split second and he looked like the teenager he was when he played the part.

[@Octoberville]

In case you or anyone that hasn't watched it yet, check out the Goonies DVD with the director's commentary on. The whole cast is so funny, Josh in particular.

[@stephenr80]

Even in spain marked a whole generation

[@cwg73160]

“I love -the fact- that” ftfy You’re welcome.

[@TimeBucks]

Josh impersonating Tommy as young agent K was amazing

[@stevefred2694]

The impression of will Smith warming up was even better 😂

[@RolandDeschain1]

When I saw Heath Ledger in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN I was sure he would become the next Tommy Lee Jones.

[@OrangeeDude]

I love him in Sicario. That movie was absolutely awesome!

[@domrap1995]

Loved that movie too. The sequel was ok too. I heard there’s a third one in the works as well now!

[@Cypress078]

Great movie

[@Recoba57]

@@domrap1995They kind of dropped the ball on the second one! First one was a masterpiece!

[@MrTsiolkovsky]

Wasn't Denis, unfortunately@@Recoba57

[@rustycrook1363]

shush bot

[@jasondotg]

For some reason I did not expect him to come off so humble, grateful and just normal. It was genuinely touching and I'm an even bigger fan now.

[@G_F1]

Check out his episode of Tony Hawk's podcast. It's fantastic.

[@DeanGoldbarry-jo7fd]

Also Hot Ones is great too.

[@alejandroquiroz5857]

I had the exact same thought process! Didn’t realize how much of a cool regular guy he was.

[@alexfischer7876]

It's in the family, perhaps. James Brolin and Barbra Streisand raised him well.

[@dejatwixt9214]

if you have time, or know of the series, he did a "Hot Ones" and it truly shows how he is as a person. If don't know Hot Ones a guy interviews celebs and asks them questions but each question they have to eat a wing and they keep getting hotter.

[@1jidion]

josh impersonating tommy as young agent K was amazing, he had everything down to a T and it shows

[@High-TechLowlife]

You could say... He had everything down to a K.

[@lionhead123]

He made a bad movie watchable. And rewatchable even, just for that impression.

[@watchfighting571]

also, when i watched it, like most people i werent familar with josh brolin. i was amazed, like how did they litterally cast k as young

[@foodreacts837]

He made MIB3

[@1jidion]

@@foodreacts837 duh, that’s wtf we talking about, keep up lol

[@RadicalRegice]

i like how he takes a moment to talk about how cool ke huy quan is

[@Coldfire242]

One of the most eloquently spoken interviews with an actor I've ever seen

[@highsodium1ntake]

Denzel Washington

[@malcolmoliver7265]

This man’s presence in the MCU single handedly carried the franchise for all we know. Thanos really has been immortalized now

[@judson8441]

Truly, Jonathan Majors only one close to holding a candle to him, and here we are SOL

[@evolicious]

@@judson8441 I'd argue that while Jonathan Majors made a lasting impression in Loki, his characters after that, by large, can be replaced by talent.

[@alexfischer7876]

Perfectly balanced combo of charisma and gruff voice. As all things should be.

[@CaerEsthar]

...yeah Robert Downey Jr. definitely had nothing to do with it...

[@SunlightGwyn]

@@judson8441 He was nowhere near Brolin's Thanos. Not even close. I'm glad they got rid of Kang. They should replace him with Doctor Doom or Galatus.

[@Aidswayz]

19:30 I find it so funny that Josh Brolin admits that even he didn't like the second MIB. He's so honest and I love that

[@JaxBiv513]

Nobody really did. The third MIB was much better.

[@Kinobambino]

I thought at first he meant it as in he didn't like watching the second one for Tommy Lee Jones voice because it wasn't as nuanced as the first one

[@coreycerankowski4280]

I am so happy his Goonies memories are just so heart felt.

[@themr_wilson]

10:35 an interaction with Mark Ruffalo being his favorite memory of doing the movie is a testament to both Josh Brolin and Mark Ruffalo

[@syreallewyatt5048]

Theres several diff actors Ive seen and whenever ANY of them mention Mark, and the love in their voice, its clearly evident Mark Ruffalo is the nicest person any of them have ever met, on or off screen. I get the impression HE would bring YOU a glass of water if you said you were thirsty and he just so happened to be on fire at the time.

[@saturniin3]

@@syreallewyatt5048this reminds me of this story of Mark Ruffalo being starstruck around RDJ and Chris Evans and some other folks, making a huge deal of them being amazing Hollywood stars, and it’s like… sir, so are you!

[@PoopaScoopa]

Josh Brolin talking about being surrounded by legendary actors like Christopher Walken as if Josh himself isn't legendary truly shows how humble he is as a person.

[@LifeOfLonso38]

Brolin in Deadpool 2 as cable was legendary!

[@pearsrtasty3326]

Yea, I was confused why this character wasn't in the list but, a FULL CGI character was in the list.

[@CALLOFMONSTER]

He hated that role, that's why maybe it wasn't in the list.

[@harrisonmccartney4878]

Brolin at his age reminds me of a cross between Ron White and Jeff Bridges, and really you just can't be a cooler blend of two people than that.

[@Disney65Fan]

His more like Jeff Bridges.

[@matt_afact]

With that O.G. Cali surfer/skater vibe thrown in there

[@cleverusername9369]

​@@Disney65Fan agreed, he and Jeff share a certain affable quality that Ron doesn't quite have. Like, I find myself wanting to smoke a blunt with Josh and/or Jeff, whereas I want to drink tequila with Ron, and that's the difference, if that makes sense.

[@2112LifeIsGood]

Josh comes across as 100% genuine, very real and laughably relatable. He's one of my favorite actors.

[@KidFresh71]

Liked to see Denis Villeneuve getting so much respect. He's my favorite working director today.

[@roadbeef]

His MiB 3 annecdote is the best hahahaha, a fish out of water and he conveys that feeling really well

[@jzderf]

The image of Barry Sonnenfeld crying while Will Smith laughs at him and Josh not knowing wtf is going on is hilarious to me.

[@JWF111]

I love him in Sicario. Amazing movie!

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

El Torro stole the show for me. That moment he suddenly wakes up on the plane, just 100% believable he just had a nightmare

[@moragag9307]

For me it’s the Goonies ❤

[@colenedrow2792]

I could listen to Brolin talk about acting all day long. He makes the whole process sound incredibly fascinating

[@Gambit2483]

_"You should've gone for the head"_ ‐ Greatest line delivery-to-audience reaction

[@ep3578]

Him as Brand in The Goonies is how I came to know him. He’s been a fantastic actor for decades

[@justinbergmans36]

I love that Josh brolin is so proud of the goonies.

[@Morfe02]

The fact Dune has Thanos Drax and Anton Chigurh is hilarious and amazing

[@justspeakingmymind7224]

And MJ and Moonknight lol

[@babyhols777]

Aquaman, mj, moonknight

[@willpoweramv]

I swear Thanos is basically this generations Darth Vader. Simply iconic.

[@GOD_OF_STORIES07]

THANOS Every dialogue is Gem ...He is The Best character in Cinema

[@skux0146]

Come on!!! You are serious?

[@eyeseer1]

Thanos has been iconic in books since 1975.

[@Ahzuv2]

Darth vader is this generations darth vader

[@alexfischer7876]

He's more of a _Colonel Kurtz_ than Darth Vader.

[@itsrectimemedia]

His performance as Young Agent K was PERFECT!!!

[@GenXBecks]

One of the most entertaining of this entire series.

[@taylorcourville9193]

this is the GOAT yt series at this point

[@alejandroyanes8932]

Its funny how a big super star like Brolin remains humble about the fact he was very lucky way back when he started, and still feels lucky today after every role a does and the fact he was allowed to be there around those talented people, seems funny now that he is a very recognizable name, but he remains down to earth

[@JGNM-mp9cs]

Josh Brolin has to be THE coolest actor. Every interview he is laid back and humble with a great sense of humor.

[@SelfieQueenGeorgina]

Unexpectedly, I was surprised by his humble, grateful and down-to-earth attitude. This is really touching, I like him more now than before 😄

[@MOH_AL_K]

Thanos was lowkey a poet ! All of his lines were his best lines !

[@alexfischer7876]

Except that he _"used the Stones to destroy the Stones"._ *Department of Redundancy Department* trope is not commonly associated with poetry, as far as I know.

[@NPClownumber81googolplex]

You should read his poem to Timothée Chalamet 👌😱

[@MOH_AL_K]

@@NPClownumber81googolplex heard about that, didn’t read it. I’m just talking about Thanos thou.

[@NPClownumber81googolplex]

@@MOH_AL_K and I'm talking about best lines 😂

[@constipatedparker5879]

Half of his lines became meme material

[@g-money_7388]

Something about Josh Brolin comes off as very mysterious and masculine and elegant all at the same time, I love it.

[@haysgoodman8068]

The 'argument in the truck' scene between him and Jennifer Connelly in 'Only The Brave' is fantastic. One of my favorite scenes he's ever performed in.

[@robertgrantz6639]

Brolin is definitely on my list of celebs it would be cool to grab a beer with.

[@tylerwhitney3443]

Think he's sober

[@camthur5050]

I am SO happy that he sees the Goonies as an important part of his career and looks at it fondly. So many people move on to supposedly "bigger" or "better" things in their career and then act like their early projects are beneath them or something. I love that he's wonders if he deserves to be in the room with the big guys. He's so humble. The answer to his question is a resounding "YES".

[@BillBailey0]

I'm 61 and i will always love watching the Goonies.

[@MumrikDK]

One of the best of these. He was so willing to share beyond the strict PR.

[@sofarsogood8680]

I hope Mark Ruffalo will has a chance in interview to tell his story side of Josh's line bits. Cause it sounds really funny and might be the reason Josh has lasting memory of it

[@chelseacanales8763]

He did an amazing job portraying Thanos; I know he did other movies before Marvel but he did an incredible job

[@kishenkoolskills90]

He was the last great thing about Marvel

[@sclogse1]

Hopefully you see Inherent Vice, Only The Brave, and Hail Caesar..

[@fabianocarvalholeopoldofil3476]

He is so humble and charismatic. One of the best interviews i ever seen

[@MrTizzay]

He's similarly chill to Ethan Hawke, what an authentic guy. Glad to hear he understood the greatness of Thanos as a character, he elevated the MCU like Downey did

[@Jllyrol311]

I could listen to Josh talk all day. He seems to understand the technical aspects of performance, but he relates it so matter-of-factly.

[@jamescpotter]

MIB III is a movie I will watch and rewatch because of Josh Brolin. He is AMAZING in this role. And it very emotional because he nails Tommy Lee.

[@aust25]

Josh is the most underrated talent in entertainment he blows me away with how he gets so immersed in every character he does. He truly cares about his art.

[@M0RGAT0RY]

I grew up with this dude... We all have. Great in Sicario, great in Goonies; the best in Avengers Infinity War

[@docproc144]

Brolin did an incredible job playing a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones in MIB 3, he got Jones’ mannerisms down perfectly.

[@prabhatsingh2014]

I wish you guys asked him about Only the Brave , it has an amazing ensemble cast and also one of his best performance .

[@3rdandzen97]

Great point!! Such an underrated and under-seen gem of a movie, and he was fantastic in it.

[@HuntersDad.]

They don't?! Grrrr.

[@heartbeatsdrum]

Funnily enough, the first thing I saw Brolin in was MIB3, being a fan of the previous 2. Then I saw No Country, then Sicario, and was like, "Wow, he's amazing."

[@eddiecardwell]

Denis: “Let me send you the script.” JB: “No need.” 🗿

[@marcumm]

These are classic. Wish he would have talked about Only The Brave. Such a sad but powerful movie.

[@kolesteele4242]

He is literally in every movie I love. And his dad is hilarious in that one comedy show my parents watch.

[@tims4472]

Brolin's performance as Thanos was epic. Thanos is one of my favorite Comic Book Villain's so he exceeded my expectations! I am a fan Josh Brolin!

[@lamjammy4523]

he is so humble and well spoken, the more interviews I watch, the more I admire this actor.

[@thetruebatman4632]

I’ve had the pleasure for the last 3 years of sharing a gym with a guy that worked with Brolin on the Sicario movies (some of my favorite ever lol) and he said he’s not just a cool guy he’s probably one of the best MEN that he’s ever met in his life.

[@trentonpearson196]

I love him in the Goonies

[@T.J.S.]

Still remember him playing wild Bill Hickock in The Young Riders. Childhood memories..

[@Asbivilian]

For me it was Eric Marsh in Only the Brave. My dad was a structural firefighter for 40 years and he looked like him in that movie. Same goatee, same glasses, same attitude, everything. That was a hard one to watch, but it was also incredible at the same time.

[@JC-hq7iu]

Such an incredible movie

[@lincoln13echo]

The light and joy in his face talking about the Goonies set is so authentic.

[@microchrist6122]

Sicario is goated. Will only get better as time goes on

[@BAGofTALENT]

Him as Thanos was as perfect as it could ever get , solid actor love all his stuff .

[@R1ch4d8]

I like that episode focused specifically on the actor's most memorable roles and let them go into great detail about them. Cos sometimes it feels like videos of "Here's 90 of the parts I've ever played".

[@Viper0hr]

Sicario 1 and 2 are great, can't wait for the third.

[@kishenkoolskills90]

Didn't Sicairo 2 end the story, Sicairo means Mexican Soldier or Assassin and that ended after 2nd one, so there not making another

[@youranimeeditor7812]

THERES A SICARIO 2??

[@Mr.D34]

​@@kishenkoolskills90Did you watch Sicario 2? There might definitely be a third movie the way it ended.

[@chriswyatt9869]

@@kishenkoolskills90they are. Did you not watch sicario 2? It literally sets up a sequel. It’s called sicario: capos and is in development- supposedly it’s gonna bring back Emily blunt’s character and also Christopher mcquarrie could direct.

[@deadshot-lj2ur]

​@@youranimeeditor7812Sicario: Day of the Soldado

[@byrdfeathers3552]

Was hoping to hear him talk about No country for a little longer. My all time favorite movie

[@LauraCourtneyette]

Fantastic interview - I had to watch the last two segments (True Grit & MIB3) a couple times!

[@joshknoll5172]

I've loved Brolin ever since I was a little kid way, way back in 1985 and saw "The Goonies" for the first time. Great actor!

[@scottysonn24]

Phenomenal in Outer Range too. Waiting for season 2 to drop 👌🏻

[@zzirfamo24]

I really wish we got more interrogation scenes in Sicario with him. He really makes it intense and has you sitting on the edge of your seat.

[@danparf1]

Hes clearly a lovely person, Super happy to have watched him be so genuine. Fair play

[@ac2244]

Him in Sicario is flawless.

[@sinoverlord409]

There is no Thanos without Josh.

[@bad2dabohn1992]

Such a cool awesome dude, course we all love him as Thanos but like some I've known him since Goonies. Brolin you are incredible

[@ME-nk2og]

Loved Mr. Brolin in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

[@Cam-yu8wy]

Was probably my favourite character on the young riders when I was a kid, and he's managed to remain one of my favourite actors ever since

[@nikwalters1029]

Now I wanna rewatch Young Riders since other than Goonies, it's the next thing I saw him in. I mean... Wild Bill before he was Wild Bill is awesome.

[@Idrcatall]

Cannot believe he didn’t talk about royal (outer range) one of my favorite ones

[@jwright-ui3eo]

He is great in that. They released season 2 date, May 16th can't wait!!

[@SceneWins]

Class act through and through, love how humble this guy is 👏👏

[@ekimmara3027]

This is the best episode of this serious I've seen so far. Josh Brolin is amazing.

[@haddonfieldradio666]

It’s really sad that BATMAN isn’t one of his iconic roles!

[@Mikey-em8hs]

Because he never played Batman

[@haddonfieldradio666]

@@Mikey-em8hs That is the point im making. I wish he played BATMAN.

[@Nobodysurvivesevenonebit]

No one can play Thanos as him.

[@TheAcidicMolotov]

The most useless statement. Thank you for saying people cannot be other people

[@bobbyologun1517]

Mel Gibson

[@nate1066pollock]

What's funny is that probably no one would have thought of Brolin for Thanos, but he perfectly nailed it

[@jadepelletier667]

@@bobbyologun1517 bro said mel gibson 💀

[@rubenquiros4859]

Besides Heath Ledger’s Joker, Josh’s Thanos is the best villain in a comic book movie. Impeccable casting by Sarah Halley Finn.

[@robbo_96]

When I see where the MCU is now it's easy to forget the tension, awe and shock that I felt watching Infinity War and Endgame, and so much of that was down to Josh Brolin's performance. Thanos is formidable, threatening, single-minded, but also with a degree of fragility and gravitas which offsets the character and makes his actions pack so much of a punch

[@Pracatan]

I wish this has been longer, love how genuine he is. What a gent.

[@JordanSchlansky459]

He really wants to be in a tarantino movie

[@jr2904]

He's got one last chance

[@toyninja5959]

No Planet Terror?....wtf😢

[@Richie5903]

Amazing actor and some incredible memories , thanks GQ for picking him and thanks Mr.Brolin for doing this 👍

[@JohnTLyon]

The Goonies was an icon for many of us. His filmography is like a history of film in and of itself!

[@mobilegamingsaga498]

Thanos did nothing wrong

[@recesswastaken3789]

he was fantastic as Cable, really hoping he comes back for deadpool 3

[@MacMiittens]

hopefully he comes back for an xmen movie cause thats Cyclops and Madelynes kid

[@larrymoy4955]

Heard he will be in DP3. Fox had him for a 4 movie contract.

[@Joseph-ol4oj]

He captured agent K wonderfully, not so much an imitation of Jones, but he captured his spirit in a way that you never doubted for a minute that he was the younger K.

[@morgancole2663]

I'm 24 and I've seen the Goonies at least a dozen times, loved it so much as a kid

[@hamishdobbo]

Sicario and No Country are my two favourite movies of all time. Thank you Josh, true legend of film.

[@PGHDude]

I actually loved his first film Thrashin’ so great

[@stooges151]

Was hoping he was going to touch on it. I know he thinks it's silly, and it is, but there's a whole generation of guys who love that movie.

[@gottalottabones]

It is the best thing ever that he's so fond of The Goonies.

[@jamesmcpherson1590]

I love Josh Brolin. I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad movie. Sicario and No Country are two of my favorite movies ever.

[@ineffable50]

His character in Planet Terror cracked me up bigtime. Would've loved hearing about filming that!!

[@bojnebojnebojne]

Goonies is a must watch for any movie enthusiast, it's a classic!

[@joannefairclough7960]

Brilliant in Milk. I have loved him since The Young Riders. A great interview - wish it was a little longer to cover a few more of his fantastic roles!

[@marcussmith4913]

your portrayal of Thanos was amazing. I freaking loved it.

[@Vollce]

Amazing actor. Love this dude.

[@randomcosplaydudesimpressi8509]

I loved how he did Tommy's Accent of Young Agent K