Josh Brolin reveals Steven Spielberg’s reaction to his wild ‘Goonies’ idea

Josh Brolin revealed he once got a hilarious rude awakening from Steven Spielberg as a 16-year-old actor on the set of the classic 1985 adventure film The Goonies.

In a new interview for his upcoming memoir From under the truckthe 56-year-old star told PEOPLE that Spielberg — who created the story for the film, about a group of teenagers who embark on a dangerous quest for hidden treasure — had dropped his wild character suggestion that went far too deep for what the film asked for.

“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 recalled his suggestion for the character’s inner turmoil, referring to the many labyrinthine tunnels that the teenagers navigate in the film as they search for the treasure.

He continued, “(Spielberg) looked at me and said, ‘Yeah, just do it. Just say what’s on the page.’ He wasn’t an asshole, he was right.”

Still, Brolin called the experience “probably the greatest experience of my life” as a young actor.

“That was the moment at 16 that should never have happened,” he told the publication of the film, which was written by Future Mrs. Doubtfire director and Harry Potter film series helmer Chris Columbus. “I was kicked out of my house. I went to live on the couch with my dad, who was living with someone at the time, like, I gotta get my act together. And then 350 or whatever auditions go on and people say : “You should definitely find another profession. You’re not good at this.” And I like that challenge.”

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Entertainment weekly has reached out to a Spielberg representative for comment.

The Goonies became a defining hit for younger audiences in the 1980s, grossing $125 million at the box office and helping launch the careers of stars like Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton and Ke Huy Quan, the former child star who won an Oscar in 2023 , forward. for his role Everything everywhere at once, after a long hiatus from Hollywood.