Josh Brolin is the talk of Hollywood again thanks to his role in the ensemble horror movie Weapons. This isn’t the first time he has generated such buzz for a role, with an Oscar nomination to show for it. While he may be most known for his breakout role in The Goonies, there is much more to his arsenal than that.
However, Brolin’s journey to fame hasn’t been a simple climb. It’s been fraught with challenges, setbacks, and ultimately resurgences. So, let’s break down the impressive, storied career and remarkable life of Josh Brolin.
From Santa Barbara Rebel to Hollywood Heavyweight
Josh Brolin’s path to Hollywood superstardom was far from the conventional stories we often hear. No standing on Hollywood strips holding signs, no cheesy commercials, and no silver platter treatment because of his famous thespian father. In fact, his youth was marked by a turbulent path that saw him experimenting with marijuana at just nine years old and LSD by thirteen, as he divulged when speaking with The Times in 2024.
Despite being the son of well-known actor James Brolin, the younger Brolin chose a very different walk of life, joining the infamous Santa Barbara surfing group “Cito Rats” and committing small-time crimes including stealing car radios. However, this rebellious streak would eventually lead to nine separate jail stints. At the same time, his substance abuse spiralled, only increasing his recklessness. His life was upended further when his parents divorced in 1984. Yet even amid this chaos, Brolin’s acting potential began to emerge when he landed his breakthrough role as Brand Walsh in The Goonies.
Rather than coasting on his father’s reputation, Josh Brolin was forced to prove his merit through six gruelling auditions, with casting directors initially skeptical about nepotism. His athletic build made him ideal for the protective older brother character, but it was his raw intensity – perhaps honed by years of street-smart survival – that ultimately secured him the role. This early success (in a movie that is now iconic) offered a glimpse of the powerful screen presence that would later define his career, though his personal demons were far from conquered.
Josh Brolin and the Comeback of a Lifetime
After the glaring success of The Goonies, Josh Brolin seemed set for a prosperous career in Hollywood. After all, this was his debut role and he turned some industry heads and got audiences talking. Nepotism only gets you so far, and his performance showcased that he landed the part through talent, not cronyism. However, things didn’t exactly take off for the fresh-faced star. Following The Goonies, Brolin became somewhat confined to smaller supporting roles. In fact, his acting career was so slow that he set up a side gig as a day trader, as he explained on Guy Raz‘s The Great Creators Podcast.
In 2007, this all turned around when he was cast in the Coen Brothers‘ No Country for Old Men, a neo-Western crime thriller that won Best Picture at the 2008 Academy Awards. Brolin’s performance was highly-praised, yet it would be the following year that the Academy would give him the nod for his immersive rendition in Milk. After the triumph of these two films, plenty of offers were coming his way. However, his artistic integrity made his pick his projects wisely, and his day trading kept him afloat financially, explaining to Guy Raz that he still wasn’t pulling in even $100,000 a year from acting.
At the same time as rising from supporting actor to A-list leading man, Brolin was still battling substance abuse. The pivotal moment that would transform his life came in 2013 when he found himself visiting his dying 99-year-old grandmother while intoxicated. Explaining in his memoir, From Under the Truck, Brolin explores how the gravity of the situation struck him massively. Here was a woman who had lived nearly a century, while he, at just 45, was squandering his years in an alcoholic haze. That night became his awakening, as he recognized the vast expanse of life still stretching before him and made the decision to pursue sobriety with unwavering commitment. The transformation was remarkable not just personally, but professionally. With a clear mind and renewed focus, Brolin’s career entered its most successful phase, landing him the coveted role of Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – a character that would make him a household name among a new generation of fans.
What’s Next for Josh Brolin?
Not to say he was ever slipping from the Hollywood radar, but Brolin’s role in Weapons has surely propelled him further up it. The slick horror flick is sparking Oscar buzz and continues to perform exceptionally well at the box office. There are already talks of a sequel, and with the horror genre booming in 2025, it’s safe to say this could come to light soon. Before then, Brolin will star in Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out follow-up, Wake Up Dead Man. He is also set to star opposite Glen Powell in Edgar Wright‘s The Running Man.
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