Josh Brolin is an American actor who has tackled a wide-range of roles, including many that take place within the comic book genre. He is best known for his work in as Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men, George W. Bush in W, and Dan White in Milk. Brolin has also played characters from various comic books like Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jonah Hex in Jonah Hex, and he will now be playing Cable in Deadpool 2. Deadpool 2 is now in theaters.
Screen Rant got a chance to chat with Josh Brolin on press day, where we discussed how the reshoots of Deadpool 2 helped the action in the movie, Josh Brolin never expecting to get into the superhero game, and what he wants to see next from Cable in X-Force.
SR: First of all, I love this film has a ton of heart and before prior years it would've been harder to envision you in like a superhero movie, but the dive in.
Josh Brolin: Yeah. Me too.
SR: What made you dive head first into it? Is there anything beyond the superhero movie beyond visuals and explosions that you think can be different?
Josh Brolin: Well, you know what, I mean, a good story is a good story and I never told myself... I agree with you. I was the kind of the same way. I was like, I just don't see that, you know, and I like doing these other types of movies and whatever that means, and we kind of dipped our fingers into Jonah Hex and that didn't turn out so well. So I was like, you know, I had an intention for that movie and I didn't reach it. So I kind of stayed away from that thing but you know, there's something that happens when you have the opportunity first when Kevin Fiege is talking to you and from a really like a fan, you know, base point of view and he's saying, we thought of this great story and we always saw you doing it, you know, and it's not the compliments necessarily, but it's like all the Avengers against you.
SR: Sure.
Josh Brolin: Love that idea. Like that's an anomaly, that's fun, you know, it's a culmination of 10 years and all that, so that kind of like put me into that spot and I was so happy to do it. I love doing, I love the result, and then Deadpool happened in the middle of that and I was like, I've already decided to do that, but I got a thing for Ryan (Reynolds), man, you know, he's just a, I think he's a really smart guy. He created a tone that was really unique and I just said, yeah, why not? Let's do it.
SR: Speaking of that, this film has surprisingly a lot of heart in it. When you read the script, were you surprised by how much heart was in it?
Josh Brolin: Yeah, I mean it had the sketch of that and then there's a lot of rewriting and there's a lot of adjusting, especially with comedy and what he's (Ryan Reynolds) doing and all that, but yeah, I loved it. I loved the thing with him and the kid. Do you know what I mean? Kids behaving in a way that you don't like and then people can identify with that you have the last love of your life with his girl and so I like all that stuff. He knows Cable's coming because of his family and he's doing that, so there's a lot to kind of lean on other than just to humor that I think it's fun, but going back to what we were saying, a good story is a good story. It doesn't always turn out, but a good story is a good story, whether it's a tentpole movie or an independent.
SR: That's what I love about these Deadpool films is because the first one's like a romance movie. This one's more about family and you can feel that. Cable and Domino are seamless, like seamlessly added to the Deadpool franchise. Can you talk to me about any reshoots that may have happened that integrated Cable, more into that Terminator role to fit him more into like the X- Men universe?
Josh Brolin: There were the reshoots that came up and there was more about adding Cable, adding more Cable, adding more Domino, completing fight sequences that really didn't have like a tete that needed it. Like you can feel when something needs something. I think that they were really productive. I think they are incredibly productive, whereas think reshoots are usually compensatory, you know, and you go ah and we don't like the movie and let's try to change it into a movie that's better. Whereas this I think, and I can tell what the reshoots are, not just because I know, but I think it's just better. Sam Hargrave came in and did some of the fight sequences who hadn't been there before and his fight sequences are amazing. You know, it was just an added necessity and Domino I think is amazing. I think she's such a breath of fresh air in this movie. I love her.
SR: You talked about having a great story. Where would you like to see Cable go next and have you talked to Drew Goddard about the direction of Cable and his role in X-Force?
Josh Brolin: I freaking love Drew Goddard. Every conversation that I've had with him, which is only three now has been brilliant. Like he's an amazing guy and I can't wait to work with him as a filmmaker. I'm a huge, huge fan of his. I loved the Martian and I love all that stuff. So you know, what's, what happened at the end of this movie, which you don't get a lot of it before, but toward the end you see more the banter between Deadpool and Cable and I like that, you know, that kind of Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte and thing.
SR: That's a great description.
Josh Brolin: We want to see that kind of flourish. I think I've found that with Ryan (Reynolds) during the press tour more.
SR: Really?
Josh Brolin: I got to know him on the press tour. I didn't know him well enough, you know, and then once we started this thing and we're traveling all over Europe together and we have this kind of thing going on. It was fun. I had a good time.
