Josh Brolin recalls how challenging it was to prove himself during 'The Goonies' audition
Jan 31, 2025
Washington [US], January 31 : Actor Josh Brolin recalled his early acting days and working in the 1985 film 'The Goonies'.
The film was directed and co-produced by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus based on a story by Steven Spielberg and starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, and Ke Huy Quan with supporting roles done by John Matuszak, Anne Ramsey, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, and Mary Ellen Trainor.
"I think Goonies was quite an accident," Brolin recalled on a recent episode of SiriusXM's Literally! With Rob Lowe, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The role of Brandon in the film became Brolin's breakout role, years before his acclaimed performances in No Country for Old Men (2007), Milk (2008) and Denis Villeneuve's Dune franchise.
"I went in there, I've been told, they pulled the Brolin thing, 'Are you [James] Brolin's kid? You want to be an actor, huh?' So instead of that nepotistic thing, they looked at me and were like, 'Oh yeah? So act'," added Josh, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
The Avengers star set out to prove himself as a serious actor, putting his head down in the books and hoping to learn as much as possible.
"I studied," he said, adding, "I got Stanislavski books, Grotowski ... and Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty. I stayed in a bookstore 90 per cent of the time. Just reading, reading, reading," as per the outlet.
He met Donner and Spielberg, who produced the film, and they ultimately decided on his casting. "I just looked right for the part," he said. "You look at Sean Astin, you look at the type of movie it is, I looked like a bit of a bad boy, but sort of a jock, and I was in good shape, so they were like, that's the guy. I went back six times, just so they could make sure, and then I did it,".
The Goonies also starred Astin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Ke Huy Quan and Martha Plimpton. The film follows a group of young misfits called The Goonies who discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
