While you may know Josh Brolin best from playing Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s actually been working as an actor for a long time.
His career goes way back to the ’80s when he made his film debut in The Goonies . Oh yeah, and he has a super famous dad.
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Keep reading to learn more random things about him!
1. He was in *The Goonies*.
He played Brand, the older brother of Sean Astin’s character, Mikey (who was the lead).
The cast even reunited virtually recently! In addition to Josh, this included Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, and director Richard Donner.
2. His father is James Brolin.
Yes, the James Brolin, who is married to Barbara Streisand Phoebe from _Friends .
He’s also an actor , producer, and director, best known for The Amityville Horror , the original Westworld , and Catch Me If You Can .
3. He has a sweet bromance with Ryan Reynolds.
They may have played rivals in Deadpool 2 , but these two are super close off-screen.
“I know it seems like photoshop, but this really is the happiest moment of his life. Happy Birthday @joshbrolin,” Ryan captioned this adorable photo.
4. He quit Hollywood in his 20s.
After he got sick of the rat race of Hollywood, he worked as a day trader.
“I got very, very disciplined and very good at it, and then, right when I didn’t need the money anymore, suddenly I started making money in films,” Brolin said at Cannes, according to the AP .
5. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez filmed his audition for *No Country for Old Men*.
Since he was filming a movie with them at the time, they decided to shoot his audition for him.
This took place a $1 million Genesis camera. And yet, the casting director didn’t like it.
6. He was injured two weeks before filming *No Country for Old Men*.
He broke his shoulder when his motorcycle hit a car.
“I’m flying over the car—and I’m really getting some air—and I remember thinking I really wanted to work with the Coens,'” he told NOW Magazine.
Thankfully, it all worked out.
“I got lucky,” Brolin said at the screening of the film at the Toronto Film Festival. “My character gets shot in the shoulder early on, so I didn’t have to act the hurt.”
7. He was married to Diane Lane.
They were together from 2004 to 2013.
Their divorce was a rocky one, as Josh was arrested in 2004 for domestic abuse after an alleged altercation with Lane. The case was dropped.
“God, I’ve never been so careful with my words. Ever. Maybe in all 50 years,” Brolin 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, and she’s chosen not to, so I’m OK with that.”
8. He’s had a few run-ins with the law.
In an interview with Men’s Journal , the actor revealed that his troubled past began when he was a teenager.
“I stole a lot of radios from cars,” the actor said. He was also part of a gang called the Cito Rats.
He even admitted to doing drugs while filming *The Goonies*.
“I was the last guy to get into heroin – I smoked it – and the first to get out. I was around 16 or 17, so it was around the time of The Goonies.”
9. He fell in love with his assistant.
He fell for the model, who is 19 years younger than him, four months after his divorce to Lane. Right away, he liked that she was independent.
“She doesn’t need me. She never needed me,” he told The New York times .
10. He tried to create a revival of *The Hunchback of Notre Dame*.
This was back when he had a production deal with Warner Bros., but it never happened.
Another role that the actor has said he wants to one day play is RuPaul (yes, from RuPaul’s Drag Race ).
11. He has three kids.
The first two were with his ex-wife, actress Alice Adair. Then, he grew super close to Diane Lane’s daughter.
His most recent child is Westlyn Reign, who he had Kathyrn. They even have a second child on the way!
12. He has been paid significantly less than most of his co-stars.
He told The New York Times that he was paid $100,000 flat for No Country For Old Men .
After agent fees and taxes, that came out to around $36,000.
“I’ve always been the one that’s been paid the least,” he said.
“I’ve always been the one that didn’t get what my co-stars got.”
Thankfully, things have changed, as he was reportedly paid eight million to play Thanos in Infinity War .
13. He’s super close with his step-mother, Barbara Streisand.
She adores being a grandma to Josh’s daughter, Westlyn.
“The minute the kid comes into the room, she just changes into another person. She falls apart,” James, Josh’s dad, told People . “And she’s persnickety … the minute the kid comes in, all that just goes out the window. It’s really fabulous to see.”
14. He has some thoughts on Thanos’ butt.
When Avengers: Endgame first came out, there was one question on everyone’s minds: does Thanos have a butthole?
Brolin gave his take at the film’s premiere. “Did you see what I posted today?” he asked Variety , referring to a “cheeky” photo of Thanos in the buff.
“That’s a peach, man, that’s a peach. That’s a purple peach if I’ve ever seen one, that’s a beautiful, purple peach.”
If your eyes can take it, you can view the photo here . Thanos got back!
