Opening this weekend is directorRuben Fleischer’s(Zombieland)Gangster Squad.A The movie is set in 1940s Los Angeles and starsASean PennA as real-life gangsterAMickey Cohen, who became the target of special task force known as the aGangster Squada made up ofJosh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie,Giovanni Ribisi,Michael PeAa, andRobert Patrick.A The film also starsEmma Stone,Nick Nolte, andMireille Enos.A For more on the film, be sure to check outour set visit coverage here, andwatch six clips.During the recent Los Angeles press day, I landed an exclusive interview with Josh Brolin.A During our wide ranging conversation we talked about what the last few years have been like as he’s been in some high profile movies, how he got involved inGangster Squad, what changed on set, future projects likeSpike Lee’sOldboy,Jason Reitman’sLabor Day,Hunchback of Notre Dame,Sean Penn’sCrazy for the Storm,Pitz and Joe,Under and Alone, a possible project withJessica Chastain, and a lot more.A Hit the jump to read.Collider: Did you wrapOldboyyet?Josh Brolin: I did, already started gaining weight.I was going to say, does it feel good to be done with that?Brolin: It does, it does.A I had one of, and Iam not kidding, one of the best timeas Iave ever had on a movie set, ever.ALabor Daywas an amazing shoot for me for very different reasons.
Not only did I- Iam not going say hate, I did not have a good experience duringJonah Hexin New Orleans.A I was staying down in the Quarter, which was a massive mistake that I made.A And now Iam staying on Magazine Street.A I was in the Garden District; I fucking fell in love with New Orleans.A I absolutely feel deeply in love with Spike [Lee], I feel in love with Sean Bobbitt, the DP, who didShameandHunger, fell in love with him.A Fell in love with Lizzie Olson, thought ultimately that if itas edited together, which Iall be a part of later, if itas edited together even close to what the experience was, it will be really good.A It should be really good.I have so many more questions on that, but Iam going to jump into other things first.Brolin: Yeah, totally.I went to New Orleans before seeingTremeand I thought one thing of the city, and after watchingTremeI now have a whole different appreciation -Brolin: Whole different perspective right?A-and I love it down there.Brolin: Yeah, I love it down there.Itas great, totally different way of life.Brolin: Totally; whole different mentality.Youave been acting since basicallyThe Goonies.Brolin: Sixteen.So a long time ago.Brolin: Long time.But it seems to me within the last few years youave really landed some juicy parts, especially the last four or five years.Brolin: On film.AYes.Brolin: I landed juicy parts before that in theater, but never, not never, but seldom in film.A LikeFlirting with Disaster, I thought that was a really nice part to be able to fuck around with and stuff like that, but it was very random and it didnat come often.A Yes, I agree.The last few years-Brolin: Six years.Have seen a spike in high-profile projects, if you will.Brolin: And great directors.That too.A Whatas it been like for you in terms of like working in theater, paying your dues, and all the sudden being able to work at this high level of Hollywood?Brolin: I never saw it as paying my dues; I was just a blue-collar actor who was working for a mortgage and to put his kids through school.A People imagine that because my dad was really successful early on that we were in a situation where, aOh, your dad can give you money, your dad can do this, your dad can do that.a My dad was on a one-bedroom apartment down in Pacific Palisades with fucking magazine articles all over the place, all over the floor, 150 vitamin bottles in the kitchen, losing his mind basically.A So we were all not down and out, but we were all struggling for the next job.A aWhat job are you going to do?A What job are you going to do?a aI donat know.A I havenat worked for a year.a I think the longest I went without working was sixteen months.A So whenGrindhouseandNo Country for Old Menhappened just because of working with those people then Ridley Scott said aOh, whoas Josh?A I know heas been around for a long time.a Or he doesnat know who I am, never heard my name, said, aWe have this part, would he be good in it?a O.K.A Iall audition for that.A Then you getAmerican GangsterandInThe Valley of Elahbecause Iam friends with Paul [Haggis] and he said, aCan you do this little part for me?A Great.a And then things start to change and the biggest thing for me is how do I elongate what can very easily be a flash?A I think that was my biggest- it was like look, I donat care how anyoneof these films do, thereas a perception right now, thereas an interest right now how do I elongate that as much as possible?A And I remember my agent and I, thank god for him, man.A Heas probably the only agent that any actor can say that about.A Heas the greatest human being who has truly kept his sensibilities.You should drop his name.Brolin: Michael Cooper, CAA.A We just had a talk the other day and heas in the same mentality that he was before I didGrindhouse.A Itas just like, aGood projects are going to be the only thing that matters, money will come, you donat have to make the most money, weare really fortunate right now making any money doing the projects we love that resonate the most.a So what do I do now?A Do I give a shot to find a money gig?A Or, you know, there are a couple of filmmakers that have come out of the woodwork right now who are amazing filmmakers like aDo you want to this?A Itas not going to pay a lot.a And I read the movies and these are just great movies, theyare just great movies.A You know theyare going to be great movies, you know theyare going to be directed well, they may not be huge hits, or they may be.ANo Countryshouldnat have been a huge hit and it was.A Itas the biggest movie I did to date.A OrTrue Grit, that wasnat going to be a huge hit, who wants to fucking see a western where you canat understand anybody in the whole thing?A And then suddenly it makes twice as much asNo Country.Thatas just a damn good movie.Brolin: Itas just a really good movie.A When youare with good filmmakers who donat get it right every time, but the ratio and the possibility and the probability factor of them making a decent film that is not pandering, that still has a lot of integrity and yet is still a really fun, interesting or great story to be able to ride on is the best bet for us.AJumping intoGangster Squad, the reason I get to talk to you today, what was it about that project that pulled you in?A Was it the crazy cast that you guys assembled?A Was it the script?A What was the thing?Brolin: The cast wasnat assembled until later.A [Jeff] Robinov came to me when I was makingMen in Black 3about playing Mickey Cohen, and I was like, aReally?A Alright.a And then I got together with Christian Tinsley, my makeup guy that I use often, and who didOldboy, he didW, he did a lot of these movies that Iave done and will doHunchback of Notre Dameand all this stuff.A So we did a couple tests of me as Mickey Cohen and I ended up looking kind of like Oliver Stone.A I donat know how, but I was like, aWell, I look like Oliver.a And then I just said, aYou know what?A Itas a great part, it sounds like a lot of fun, I just donat buy it.A I just donat buy it ultimately, and if I donat buy it nobody else is going to buy it.A So I think we should go to Sean and figure out what he needs and wants and letas give it to him, because I think heas going to kill this part.a So Sean doing it, finally getting him to do it I think was a huge factor.A I like the fact that it honored LA, that it was an homage to LA.A That was huge as a seventh generation Californian.A I have massive pride around Los Angeles and especially California.A And that was the biggest thing, and then Ryan was involved which was a factor.A Then we started putting together the gang, and who is going to be?A Is it going to be Anthony Mackie?A Is it going to be Giovanni Ribisi?A Thatas my fourth movie Iave done with him.A Then you start to go, aThis works, I like this.a And then you always know at least for the first time in my life, if I donat love it I can pull out as were putting it together before real pre-production starts.A Itas just like look, I know I want to work with the studio, I love this studio, Jeff Robinov and I have a great relationship, but is this really what we want to do?
Letas maybe find something else, letas maybe develop something else.A O.K.A Letas do that.A This just seemed- every step of the way seemed like a right step.A Ultimately, I think we had to much dialogue for me, expositional bullshit dialogue that we ended up cutting out and making him a little more laconic and a little more Eastwood-esque, which I think was absolutely appropriate and was a great balance with Sean.A Heas kind of up here doing his thing and then Ryan whoas doing his kind of idiosyncratic thing and itas a great triangle of characters.
; none representing the other at all.Iam definitely curious about deleted scenes, was this one of those things where thereas like thirty minutes on the cutting room floor?Brolin: No, no, no.A Definitely not, no.A Mostly mine, mostly my expositional dialogue that I just couldnat stand.A I couldnat stand saying it, I couldnat stand doing it, and I couldnat stand it when I saw it.A I think all of us were like, itas un-needed.A The movieas showing you what happened.A Weare not doing a TV series, weare doing a film.A People have intelligence; they can see whatas going on.A I donat think we have to say more than twice or three times aWeare going to go down the street, if we make a right turn and somebody shoots at you donat forget to shoot back.A you might protect yourself here.A Come on letas move, letas go!a Itas just like, dude, shut up.Sometimes less is more.A Thatas true in almost everything.Brolin: I think almost everything.A And then if you have a character within that less is more genre, or tone of the film, then you might have people like Sean who is like doing his thing, which I think is great, is needed so you can better motivate that story.Jumping intoLabor Dayfor a second, what was that experience like?Brolin: Amazing.Can you talk a little bit about the film?A Who do you play?A All that stuff.Brolin: I play a guy, right before he gets out, during an appendectomy actually jumps out of the second story window of a prison hospital and escapes and kidnaps a woman and her son and they end up having a relationship over the five days that heas with them.Which is, by the way, so not what Jason Reitman has done before.Brolin: No, no this is very, very different.A I actually see the movie on Tuesday, I believe.A I see the first cut of the movie on Tuesday, which I know several people have seen it, theyare very happy with it.A I know heas very happy with it.A I know itas tonally very different for him and Iam excited man.A Iam nervous, but Iam excited.A Itas hard to talk aboutOldboywhere heas got twenty years in prison, then youave got this guyas got eighteen years in prison and youare like, aOh, Iam that guy?a But theyare very, very, very different; very different.Iave actually liked all of Jasonas films.Brolin: Yeah, me too.I really have.A I think heas a very talented filmmaker.Brolin: Yeah.I definitely want to addressOldboyreal quick.A Obviously I donat want to have you give away too much; I donat want to spoil anything for people, butA I think a lot of people want to hear that this is not some watered down version of this great story.Brolin: Definitely not.A Thereas this whole idea, which I donat like and I donat appreciate, I donat even like talking to people about, aHollywood is this.A Hollywood does this.A Hollywood waters down.a It really depends on who the filmmakers are, it depends who the actors are and how much control they have, or not even control, how much influence they have over the final cut of something and all that.A And it was like, look, Iam not going to do a movie that is watered down.A Iam just not.A [Gangster Squad] is a watered down movie of sorts, this is more of a commercial, fun rollercoaster, not a lot of consequence or that kind of thing.A It is what it is.A Itas within the genre that itas in and tonally what weave created.AWithOldboy, look, it’s Spike Lee, its myself, the DP Sean Bobbitt, who’s a fucking amazing man and me talking, like I said, to Chan-wook Park and saying, aDo you mind if we do this?a and his only request was just donat do the same movie and itas like no were not interested in that.A Structurally, as a scaffolding, itas the same movie, but what we do with is very different.A It looks very different.A Spike, about two and a half weeks into the movie cut together this four minute compilation just for me to look at.A Not that I needed it, not that I felt like Iam lost, I donat know what Iam doing.A He just gave it to me and said, aDonat look at this until you get home.a And I watched this four minute compilation and it looked fantastic.A It was a massive, massive inspiration.A We were out of the motel room at that point, so I didnat have to do that anymore.A But we spent more time in the motel room.A We did eight minute to eleven minute long takes where he would just let me go and do whatever.A Iad be sitting there naked in the room and he would say, aYouave been in the room thirteen years; go.a And I would do eight minutes on that and whatever would come up.A Some of it was really stupid and unusable.A Some of it was really fun and interesting.By the way, just to go on record and Iall say this, I thinkOldboyis a really good movie, but I donat think itas flawless.Brolin: I donat either.And Iam not-Brolin: No, youare not one of those where itas- which I donat understand also, aWhy would you remake the film?a Just donat see it if you donat like it, if you donat want to see a remake of the film.A Why do another Star Wars?A Why do three more?A The first three are amazing.A Why do the second one when the first one was great?A Why do a remake?A Who cares?AMy attitude, and Iave said this many times to many people, as long you make a good movie thatas all that fucking matter.Brolin: Thatas all that fucking matters.Thatas it.Brolin: And you might choose to see it or not to see it.And also a lot of people donat realize that like 99.9% of the people that are going to see Spike LeeasOldboy, will have never seen the first one.Brolin: Absolutely.A So thank god itas out there as a story as some kind of like mythological, or Shakespearean, or Greek story.A Why not?Thereas a big fish scene in the original and thereas also some really big fight scenes, and Iam curious about-Brolin: An octopus is involved.
[Laughs]Brolin: Iall say that.A Iall say that.A In what way, I wonat say.Sure and my other question for you is, there are some great action scenes in the originalOldboythat-Brolin: Ours are amazing.One of the things I love about the originalOldboyis the very long takes with action.Brolin: I remember talking about this with you before.Right exactly, but my question for you, without giving away too much do you guys match some of that?Brolin: We donat match anything.A The only matching is that we do it in one take.A Thatas the only matching.A Thatas the only similarity.A Well, no, thereas one more similarity, but itas basically the only similarity within that sequence and I think I can be safe to say that itas not anything like the original other than it is one take and Iave never experienced or seen anything like it.A And I think what J.J.A Perry did as the fight coordinator is something phenomenal.A I will say this, I thought there is no way I could possibly pull it off until about a week before we did it after rehearsing it for quite a while.Iave heard some fight scenes that are like 114 moves, or 180 moves, which is fucking bananas to me.Brolin: Somewhere in between.Yeah, so youare on that level, thatas unbelievable.Brolin: Somewhere in between, somewhere in between.A I havenat actually counted, it could be more than that, it could be less, I donat know.A But I do know that it was a lot and I do know that Iam still suffering consequences because of it.I just interviewed Jason Clarke and he told me that he broke two ribs and hurt his ankle on White House Down fighting Channing [Tatum] My next question for you, youave been doing all this stuff up to this point; 2013 is just about to open, what are you thinking about for next year in terms of projects that want to do?Brolin: There are a lot of projects, especially my relationship with warner brothers is pretty close, with Jeff Robinov and all that.A We haveHunchback of Notre Damewith them that were closer and closer with.A We haveCrazy for the Stormthat Seanas going to direct with, which looks like it will probably go in the summer.A WePitz and Joewhich is a play that I adapted and Maya Forbes helped me adapt, Iam going to direct and act in.A We have that.A We have a documentary on Dean Potter that Iam producing.A We haveUnder and Aloneas a possibility, which is about the Mongols motorcycle gang.A We have Tammy Wynette and George Jonesas story possibly with Jessica Chastain and me.A All those are stuff that Iam developing.AItas just a question of which script-Brolin: Itas just which one reaches its peak or is doable enough whenever itas doable enough.AI definitely have to ask you, you obviously were a part ofJonah Hex, but the comic book movie right now is bigger than itas ever been.A Avengers doing a billion dollars, Dark Knight Rises, a billion.A Itas preposterous how big these things are.Brolin: Oh, yeah, yeah.AYou have a great relationship with Warner Brothers, theyare going to doJustice Leaguefor 2015, have had any sort of conversation about being a part of that?Brolin: No.A Weave got other conversations and if that conversation comes up Iall have a conversation with anybody about anything.A Thereas nothing that I donat like.A Somebody said recently that Iam not a big-budget guy.Gangster Squadhas some money in it.Brolin:Gangster Squadhas money, I donat care if it has money or not.A All I want to do is keep switching it up, thatas all I care about.A So whether I do a big movie or a smaller movie, there are bigger movies that Iave turned down just because I didnat feel like- I said, aLook, Iall be the first person to see this movie I just donat want to be in it.A I donat want to spend the next six, eight months doing something that I get to show up and have the biggest trailer and do green screen do that.a WhereasMen in BlackI was totally willing to do that because itas a great character, and itas a very difficult character.Well you also said something at the beginning of this conversation which is important and itas true, and Iave talked to a lot of different actors about this that the most important thing for the longevity of a career is doing good movies.Brolin: Thatas it.you might get, as youave said, a big paycheck for doing some summer movie that in two years everybodyas forgotten about, but if you ended up doing a great project thatas seen by the right filmmakers-Brolin: You said in the beginning, aYouave been doing this a long time, since you were sixteen.a Iave seen so many people come and go.A Iave seen so many people.A Theyare it, theyare like the next thing, and then Iave seen them go away.A Then Iave seen some people have resurgence then they go away and you never see them again.A Iave seen moments where you have two movies and itas like theyare going to be there for the next ten years and then you donat see them again and youare like, aWhat the fuck happened?a I have no interest in any of that.
