Josh Brolin had to audition six times for the 1985 film *The Goonies* due to the «nepotism» factor surrounding his famous father
Josh Brolin shared an interesting story during a conversation with Rob Lowe on the *Literally!* podcast, recalling his time on the set of *The Goonies* (1985).
Brolin, who played Brand Walsh in the iconic coming-of-age film, initially felt his casting was almost accidental. «I think *The Goonies* was quite an accident,» Brolin, 56, explained.
He revealed that, as the son of actor James Brolin, he faced a bit of skepticism. “They looked at me and were like, ‘Oh yeah? So act.’” Instead of leaning on his father’s fame, the filmmakers challenged him to prove himself.
At just 16 years old, Brolin dove into serious preparation.
“I studied,” he recalled. “I got Stanislavski books, Grotowski … and Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty. I stayed in a bookstore 90 percent of the time. Just reading, reading, reading.”
He eventually had meetings with director Richard Donner and producer Steven Spielberg.
Reflecting on his fit for the role, Brolin said, “I just looked right for the part. 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.”
But he still had to audition six times to secure the part. “I went back six times, just so they could make sure, and then I did it,” he explained.
Feeling confident after his preparation, Brolin approached Spielberg with an idea for his character, suggesting an emotional connection between his character and the tunnels.
Spielberg, however, simply told him, “Why don’t you just act? Just say the words on the page, you’ll be fine.” Brolin quickly accepted the advice and moved on.
The cast of *The Goonies* has remained close, with Ke Huy Quan describing Brolin as “like the older brother” and recalling their strong bond, saying, “We were like a big family… a lot of fighting, a lot of love, a lot of making fun of, laughter.”
