Josh Brolin was 16 years old when he landed a role in “The Goonies.” He played Brandon “Brand” Walsh, a high-school jock and the older brother of Sean Astin’s Mikey. Speaking to People magazine ahead of the release of his memoir, “From Under the Truck,” Brolin remembered Steven Spielberg shutting down his super-intellectual approach for the teenage character.
“I think [my character] Brandon is freaking out, and the tunnels represent the inside of his mother’s womb, and he’s trying to cut that umbilical cord,” Brolin remembered pitching to Spielberg, who promptly disregarded such a take.
“He looked at me, and he goes, ‘Yeah, just act. Just say what’s on the page,’” Brolin said. “He wasn’t being an asshole, he was right.”