Young Josh Brolin Tried to Make His GOONIES Character Super Deep and Spielberg Wasn't Having It

The Goonies is a classic, and many of the film’s young stars have gone on to become some of Hollywood’s best actors. Among them was Josh Brolin, who aside from being known as Marvel’s most ominous villain yet, has also been nominated for an Academy Award, and has starred in many acclaimed dramatic roles like No Country For Old Men, Milk, True Grit, Labor Day, and many more.

Brolin is the son of Emmy-winner James Brolin, and he got the acting bug in high school, knowing from then it was his calling.

So when he got his first acting role playing older brother Brand in The Goonies, he was ready to dive into the role. This led to him maybe take the part a little too seriously, but that resulted in a little lesson from the film’s producer, Steven Spielberg, which Brolin never forgot.

The actor sat down with People magazine ahead of the release of his memoir, “From Under the Truck,” and he remembered Steven Spielberg shutting down his super-intellectual approach for the teenage character.

“I think [my character] Brandon is freaking out, and the tunnels represent the inside of his mother’s womb, and he’s trying to cut that umbilical cord,” Brolin remembered pitching to Spielberg, who promptly disregarded such a take.

“He looked at me, and he goes, ‘Yeah, just act. Just say what’s on the page,'” Brolin said. “He wasn’t being an asshole, he was right.”

Brolin went on to call his “Goonies” role “probably the greatest experience of my life,” adding: “That was the moment at 16 years old which never should have happened. I had been kicked out of my house.

“I went to go live on the couch of my dad, who was living with someone at the time, like, I’ve got to get my shit together. And then going through 350 or whatever auditions and people saying, ‘You should definitely find a different profession. You’re not good at this.’ And loving that challenge.”

The Goonies cast also included Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Kerri Green and Ke Huy Quan. The film centers on a group of kids who discover an old treasure map and set out to find the fortunes of a legendary pirate named One-Eyed Willy.

“A family of criminals pursues them in hopes of stealing the treasure for themselves. The movie, directed by Richard Donner and written by Chris Columbus, was based on a story by Spielberg.

Brolin’s memoir, “From Under the Truck,” releases on November 19th.

via: Variety