An Oscar-nominated actor has referred to United States President Donald Trump as a ‘genius’ while reflecting on their old friendship.
Josh Brolin, a star of The Avengers films and the new Knives Out mystery Wake Up Dead Man, was close with the President before his move into politics.
The pair met 15 years ago on the set of Oliver Stone film Wall Street 2, in which Brolin starred as the head of an investment bank, while Trump appeared in a deleted scene.
It appears the two lost contact over the years as Trump moved from real estate into politics, becoming President for the first time six years after meeting Brolin.
Now, Thanos actor Brolin says he’s ‘not afraid’ of his former friend, and was willing to speak candidly about him in a recent interview about his role in the Daniel Craig Netflix franchise.
Speaking to The Independent, he began: ‘I’m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he’s staying for ever it’s just not going to happen. And if it does then I’ll deal with that moment.’
The 57-year-old Hollywood star is likely referring to debates over whether Trump will attempt to secure a third term as President, with Trump admitting his awareness of ‘methods’ to stay in the White House in 2028.
The 22nd Amendment of the US constitution prohibits politicians from being elected as President for more than two terms, but some commentators are speculating over whether Trump will attempt to find a loophole.
‘But having been a friend of Trump before he was the President,’ Brolin continued, ‘I know a different guy’, implying that their values have gone in different directions since 2010.
He added: ‘There is no greater genius than him in marketing. He takes the weakness of the general population and fills it. That’s why I think a lot of people feel that they have a mascot in him.
‘I think it’s much less about Trump than it is about the general population and their need for validation.’
Brolin stars in Wake Up Dead Man as Messenger Jefferson Wicks, a fierce religious speaker who, he explains, ‘garners a sense of power, then there are no boundaries’.
In a 2024 interview on Graham Bensinger’s YouTube channel, Brolin said he ‘became friends with Donald Trump, Melania’ but was ‘no longer friends’ with them as of the recording.
During the same interview, the Dune actor spoke about a time when he visited Trump’s apartment in New York City, which Trump revealed was the place he sat and watched the events of 9/11.
Brolin received his Oscar nomination for the 2008 film Milk, which also starred Sean Penn. Brolin was nominated for best supporting actor, though the award was won by Heath Ledger.
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