Josh Brolin Had to Audition for 1985'sThe Goonies6 Times Because of 'That Nepotistic Thing'

Mar. 15, 2025

Josh Brolin in ‘The Goonies’ in 1985 and in 2022.Photo: Warner Brothers/Everett; John Lamparski/Getty

Josh Brolincame to the set of 1985’sThe Goonieswith some big ideas — but Steven Spielberg was not interested in hearing them.The actor appeared on the Jan. 30 episode of SiriusXM’sLiterally! With Rob Lowe,sharing memories of his teenage acting days.“I thinkGoonieswas quite an accident,” Brolin, 56, said of landing the part of Brand Walsh in the classic coming-of-age film. “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.’ “The directive set the young star, then 16, into motion.“I studied,” he told Lowe, 60. “I got Stanislavski books, Grotowski … and Antonin Artaud and theTheatre of Cruelty.I stayed in a bookstore 90 percent of the time. Just reading, reading, reading.“He ultimately met with director Richard Donner and producerSteven Spielberg.“And I just looked right for the part,” Brolin 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.“With his newfound theatrical wisdom, Brolin eventually felt comfortable enough to approach Spielberg with an idea for his character.The cast of ‘The Goonies’ in 1985; from left: Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Josh Brolin, Ke Huy Quan and Sean Astin.Warner Brothers/Getty"I came to Steven at some point, we were in one of the tunnels, and I said, ‘Hey, Steven, can I talk to you for a second?’ " the actor recalled. “I said, ‘Hey, don’t you think that the tunnels kind of represent my mother’s womb? And what if we film me climbing up the tunnel, but really I’m trying to cut that emotional umbilical cord of my mother, and I could have tears coming down my face?’ I went into this whole thing, and I was getting all excited because he was nodding his head, and then I waited.“He continued, “And then he looked at me and he said, ‘Why don’t you just act? Just say the words on the page, you’ll be fine.’ ““That’s my favorite thing ever,” Lowe said with a laugh.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Corey Feldman, Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan and Jeff Cohen in 1985’s ‘The Goonies’.Warner Brothers/Getty Images"And I could have been like, ‘Dick!’ " Brolin replied. “But I didn’t, I was like, ‘Oh, totally. I got it.’ “Various cast members of the film — which included Corey Feldman, Ke HuyQuan, Jeff Cohen, Astin, Martha Plimpton and Kerri Green — have spoken recently about their time on set, sharing fond memories of their various on- and off-screen antics.In a 2024 interview onArmchair Expert,Quan described Brolin as “like the older brother” to the younger cast members and said he’s also remained close withGooniescostarJeff Cohen, who played Chunk in the film and went on to become an entertainment lawyer. “He’s my lawyer. We’re best friends. We see each other all the time,” Quan said.“We were like a big family,” Quan continued. “So as with any other family, there was a lot of fighting, there was a lot of love, there was a lot of making fun of, laughter. We had all of that.”

Josh Brolincame to the set of 1985’sThe Goonieswith some big ideas — but Steven Spielberg was not interested in hearing them.

The actor appeared on the Jan. 30 episode of SiriusXM’sLiterally! With Rob Lowe,sharing memories of his teenage acting days.

“I thinkGoonieswas quite an accident,” Brolin, 56, said of landing the part of Brand Walsh in the classic coming-of-age film. “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.’ "

The directive set the young star, then 16, into motion.

“I studied,” he told Lowe, 60. “I got Stanislavski books, Grotowski … and Antonin Artaud and theTheatre of Cruelty.I stayed in a bookstore 90 percent of the time. Just reading, reading, reading.”

He ultimately met with director Richard Donner and producerSteven Spielberg.

“And I just looked right for the part,” Brolin 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.”

With his newfound theatrical wisdom, Brolin eventually felt comfortable enough to approach Spielberg with an idea for his character.

The cast of ‘The Goonies’ in 1985; from left: Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Josh Brolin, Ke Huy Quan and Sean Astin.Warner Brothers/Getty

Warner Brothers/Getty

“I came to Steven at some point, we were in one of the tunnels, and I said, ‘Hey, Steven, can I talk to you for a second?’ " the actor recalled. “I said, ‘Hey, don’t you think that the tunnels kind of represent my mother’s womb? And what if we film me climbing up the tunnel, but really I’m trying to cut that emotional umbilical cord of my mother, and I could have tears coming down my face?’ I went into this whole thing, and I was getting all excited because he was nodding his head, and then I waited.”

He continued, “And then he looked at me and he said, ‘Why don’t you just act? Just say the words on the page, you’ll be fine.’ "

“That’s my favorite thing ever,” Lowe said with a laugh.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Corey Feldman, Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan and Jeff Cohen in 1985’s ‘The Goonies’.Warner Brothers/Getty Images

Warner Brothers/Getty Images

“And I could have been like, ‘Dick!’ " Brolin replied. “But I didn’t, I was like, ‘Oh, totally. I got it.’ "

Various cast members of the film — which included Corey Feldman, Ke HuyQuan, Jeff Cohen, Astin, Martha Plimpton and Kerri Green — have spoken recently about their time on set, sharing fond memories of their various on- and off-screen antics.

In a 2024 interview onArmchair Expert,Quan described Brolin as “like the older brother” to the younger cast members and said he’s also remained close withGooniescostarJeff Cohen, who played Chunk in the film and went on to become an entertainment lawyer. “He’s my lawyer. We’re best friends. We see each other all the time,” Quan said.

“We were like a big family,” Quan continued. “So as with any other family, there was a lot of fighting, there was a lot of love, there was a lot of making fun of, laughter. We had all of that.”

source: people.com