16-Year-Old Josh Brolin Tried to Make His ‘Goonies’ Character Super Deep; Then Steven Spielberg Told Him: ‘Just Act. Just Say What’s on the Page’

As a seasoned movie buff with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Josh Brolin’s journey in Hollywood is one for the books. His tale of landing a role in “The Goonies” at just 16 years old and the lessons he learned from Steven Spielberg are nothing short of inspiring.


At sixteen years old, Josh Brolin secured a role in “The Goonies,” portraying Brandon “Brand” Walsh, the high school athlete and elder sibling of Mikey, played by Sean Astin. Looking back on this experience before the publication of his memoir titled “From Under the Truck,” Brolin recalled Steven Spielberg advising him to abandon his overly-intellectual approach for the character as a teenager.

Brandon’s character seems extremely anxious, and the tunnels symbolize his mother’s womb, as if he’s attempting to sever the umbilical cord,” is how I would paraphrase Brolin’s statement in simpler, more natural language. However, it appears Spielberg dismissed this interpretation of Brandon’s character.

Brolin stated that he said, ‘Simply perform, merely recite the lines as written.’ The person looked at him, and it turned out they were correct.” (In this case, “turned out” is used to imply Brolin realized later the other person was right.)

Brolin later expressed that playing “The Goonies” character was likely the most remarkable experience of his life. He also mentioned, “At 16 years old, I shouldn’t have been in that position. I had been asked to leave home and was temporarily staying on my father’s couch. I needed to sort myself out. After enduring hundreds of auditions where people told me to consider a different career because I wasn’t cut out for this, I embraced the challenge.

In “The Goonies,” we find an ensemble cast consisting of Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman, Jeff Cohen, Kerri Green, and Ke Huy Quan. The plot revolves around a band of young adventurers who stumble upon an ancient pirate map that leads to the riches of One-Eyed Willy. Hot on their heels is a gang of nefarious characters seeking to claim these treasures for their own. Directed by Richard Donner and penned by Chris Columbus, this film was inspired by a story from the mind of Spielberg.

It was previously stated by the Sun that “The Goonies 2” might be shot next summer, with several members of the original cast reprising their roles. However, actors like Feldman and Plimpton have denied this claim.

“People, there is no ‘Goonies 2’ script, there is no one ‘attached,’” Plimpton wrote on Instagram. “Spielberg is not directing, it’s not real.”

Brolin’s memoir, “From Under the Truck,” releases Nov. 19 from Harper. 

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2024-11-09 00:47