The moody actor who loved making Josh Brolin uncomfortable: “The tension was fucking amazing”
Working in the movies is a dream job for most actors. However, most of them quickly become painfully aware that while it might be better than most jobs, it is still work. Naturally, this means that each production will have its own set of problems, and some of them will even slide nicely into the “not fun at all” category. In truth, as with most jobs, the people you’re working with are the ones who can often make it bearable or not – and sometimes you wind up working with a moody co-star who makes everybody else uncomfortable. This is precisely what happened to Josh Brolin when he was cast opposite this star on three occasions – and was only too happy to name and shame them.
Brolin first worked with this taciturn gentleman on two 2007 thrillers: the Coen brothers’ No Country For Old Men and Paul Haggis’ In the Valley of Elah. The former won ‘Best Picture’ at the Academy Awards, and Brolin’s stern-faced co-star was nominated for ‘Best Actor’ for his performance in the latter. So, in essence, both movies were highly acclaimed, and at that point in his career, Brolin probably counted himself lucky to be involved in them. However, that didn’t mean it was fun to be around Hollywood’s most famous grump, Tommy Lee Jones.
“The ambience that Tommy creates on a set is just unparalleled,” Brolin chuckled to Entertainment Weekly in 2012. “The tension is fucking amazing. I just found it fascinating. I grew up with a lot of cowboys, so it doesn’t affect me as deeply as it would the urban norm. I just laugh at it. But it’s still uncomfortable.”
While Brolin was trying to play Jones’ moodiness off in a funny way, it was clear that he believed the actor created a tense atmosphere for everyone to work in. He added that he often wondered if Jones thinks, “How can I make this the most uncomfortable moment anybody has ever had in the world?” every time he steps on set. However, he mitigated that comment slightly by saying, “There’s no way he’s thinking it. It’s just intrinsic.”
Overall, it’s debatable whether it is better if Jones isn’t purposely trying to make his co-stars feel uncomfortable. It seems like Brolin believes he affects people regardless of whether it’s intended or not, and that can’t be very nice to be around. Either way, it meant Brolin couldn’t help feeling mildly terrified when he was cast with Brolin again in Men in Black 3 – this time playing a younger version of the prickly actor.
Initially, Brolin couldn’t understand why director Barry Sonnenfeld insisted he was right for the role, chuckling to EW, “It’s like, ‘Why me?’ I don’t know if it’s the Americana people see in me and Tommy. Or if it’s the size of our skulls. Or if there’s a Cro-Magnon feeling when you look at us — sort of a silverback thing.”
In the end, though, Brolin had to focus on the task at hand – and that involved spending months driving himself insane while perfecting his Jones impression. All the hard work ultimately paid off, though, and his performance was one of the best things about the film. However, he wasn’t brave enough to ever do the impression in front of Jones, and wound up with no idea whether the grumpy Gus even liked it or not.
“I didn’t ever do Tommy in front of Tommy,” he laughed, before revealing that Jones only had kind words for a character played by Michael Stuhlbarg. “I know Tommy just saw the movie — and his only comment was that he really liked Griffin. Tommy’s tough.”
