What To Know
- Josh Brolin said his Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery character was not inspired by former friend Donald Trump.
- Brolin reflected on his past friendship with Trump before his presidency, describing him as a different person.
- He praised Trump’s marketing genius.
Josh Brolin recently made a bold declaration about his former friend, President Donald Trump.
During an interview with The Independent published on November 29, the actor, 57, opened up about a variety of topics, including his new film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Brolin refuted the idea that his villainous character, Monsignor Wicks — a manipulative religious leader — was inspired by the POTUS.
“I could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed,” he pointed out. “I’m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he’s staying forever, it’s just not going to happen. And if it does, then I’ll deal with that moment. But having been a friend of Trump before he was president, I know a different guy.”
He and Trump met during the production of Oliver Stone‘s 2010 film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. During that time, Brolin knew Trump as a New York City real estate mogul.
“I’m sure there was a lot of corruption involved,” Brolin told The Independent. At the same time, he was impressed by the idea of building $400 million hotel “in the middle of a cesspool city during the late ’70s.” He added, “That’s interesting to me. Now it’s power unmitigated, it’s unregulated.”
Although the POTUS, 79, made a cameo in the movie, it was ultimately cut. Brolin, meanwhile, portrayed Bretton James, a hedge fund manager and the main antagonist.
Brolin then declared of Trump, “There is no greater genius than him in marketing — he takes the weakness of the general population and fills it. And that’s why I think a lot of people feel that they have a mascot in him. I think it’s much less about Trump than it is about the general population and their need for validation.”
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, now in select theaters, streaming on Netflix on December 12