It’s wild to think that The Goonies is Josh Brolin’s first movie. The movie, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription, was produced by Steven Spielberg, and it launched a bunch of careers. Many of the actors on the set were new to the industry. For Brolin, who had relentlessly auditioned for parts for years, it was almost too much to handle, as he explained recently in an interview about his first day on the job. Let’s just say it didn’t go well, and it led to an admonishment from Spielberg himself. Here’s what happened.
Brolin Couldn’t Stop Laughing
Whether it was nerves, excitement, or something else, when shooting began on The Goonies in the fall of 1984, Brolin could control his laughter. It got so bad that it ruined the early shoots. As the actor explained in an interview with Entertainment Tonight:
I had no idea what a big movie was. I ruined the first half day of filming ‘cause I was laughing so hard. I guess out of nerves? So every time they yelled action, I just laughed.
Breaking character on the set of Saturday Night Live may be endearing, but on the set of a movie like The Goonies, it isn’t going to go over well. In fact, it pretty much meant every take was unusable. As a producer and a veteran of some of the biggest hits ever up to that point, Spielberg had to step in. Brolin says:
Spielberg finally came up to me, ‘We gotta [stop]…This costs money. It’s not funny anymore.’
Getting a stern talking to from a luminary like Spielberg had to be a pretty humbling experience. It’s also good advice, really, as making movies isn’t cheap and keeping yourself under control is obviously important. No doubt it’s advice that Brolin has taken to heart in the years since.
Brolin Learned A Lot From Spielberg
This isn’t the first time that Josh Brolin has talked about learning about the industry and his craft from the legendary filmmaker. Earlier this year, Brolin told Rob Lowe on his podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe, that Spielberg told him he was overthinking his role when he was trying to find too much meaning in a particular scene. He relayed what Spielberg said to him:
And then he looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t you just act? Just say the words on the page, you’ll be fine.’
Any actor would do well to heed the advice of Steven Spielberg, and Brolin seems especially appreciative of all that early advice.
Goonies never say die, and just like the kids in the movie, The Goonies doesn’t either. The movie, which despite not launching a franchise like others from its era, remains a beloved film for generations of people. There are even Lego sets dedicated to it. The fact that actors like Brolin, Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan, Martha Plimpton, and Corey Feldman were all so early in their careers makes it not only one of the best movies of the ‘80s, but one of the most important.