Actor Josh Brolin has opened up about his former friendship with President Donald Trump, referring to him as a “genius” in one way at least. Trump has been a controversial figure in politics, backing many unpopular policies since his second inauguration. Brolin met the real estate mogul before his days as president, while working on the Oliver Stone 2010 sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, which focuses on a convicted criminal returning to the stock market that landed him behind bars.
While speaking with The Independent, Brolin was asked about the influences behind his character in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, where he plays Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. With the last film in the series, Glass Onion, featuring a character that feels inspired by personalities like Elon Musk, The Goonies star opened up about what informed his choices in Wake Up Dead Man, saying, “I could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed.” However, Brolin asserts that the monsignor doesn’t inherently pull inspiration from Trump.
The Weapons actor notes that the president is a former friend, even stating that he isn’t “scared of Trump,” as when they were friends, he was a “different guy.”
“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.”
Brolin doesn’t sugarcoat the potential underbelly of the real estate billionaire’s dealings, stating, “I’m sure there was a lot of corruption involved.” While the Dune star calls Trump a “genius” when it comes to marketing, he also sees the president currently serving as a “mascot.”
“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.”
Josh Brolin Is Having a Stellar 2025
While Trump’s presidency continues to send waves through politics, Brolin has distanced himself from the billionaire, leaving their friendship behind. Still, the actor has tackled several recent roles that feel inspired by Trump, including Wake Up Dead Man and his 2025 release, The Running Man. His role in the Knives Out sequel sees him play a corrupt religious leader, while his role as Dan Killian in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man casts him as an unscrupulous media mogul. Some have even pointed to Brolin’s role as Thanos in the MCU as having parallels with the current president.
Brolin also starred in writer-director Zach Cregger’s Weapons, which has drawn widespread praise. The horror film sees the Deadpool 2 star playing a distraught father searching for his son, who disappeared with the other children at the heart of the plot. Brolin also has an impressive 2026 lined up, with Whalefall and The Dog Stars both in post-production. He is also said to be reprising his role as Gurney Halleck in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three.
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