Why Josh Brolin almost slammed the door on Ridley Scott’s new film on day one
The actor was totally destabilized by the director’s working method before finally experiencing “one of the most creative shoots” of his career.
Everything could have started very badly between Josh Brolin and Ridley Scott.
Actor reveals he seriously considered quitting The Dog Starsthe new post-apocalyptic film from the director of Gladiator. And this, from his first day of filming!
In an interview given to EmpireJosh Brolin says he was completely disconcerted by the filmmaker’s way of working: “Ridley told us a lot of stories and hardly rehearsed scenes. It completely disturbed me and I really got scared!” says the ex-Thanos of Avengers. To the point of wanting to abandon filming immediately:
“I came home, called my agent and said, ‘I want to leave. There’s something seriously wrong and I need to get out of here!“
Fortunately, his agent, who is also a close friend, convinced him not to make a decision on the fly:
“He simply replied: ‘Rest for a day. You’ll see tomorrow…’ I told him: ‘No, I know very well what’s happening on this set. It’s not just a bad day.’ And I was right!“
Josh Brolin “got really scared” and nearly quit Ridley Scott’s The Dog Stars after one day: “I called my agent and said, ‘I want out.’”
Acclimating to Scott’s unusual methods, he “got super into it,” he tells Empire, “because it was stratospherically creative and dangerous.”… pic.twitter.com/Lc05wdSK2x
— Empire (@empiremagazine) June 30, 2026
The actor explains that he only began to understand Ridley Scott’s method after the director showed him the footage they had just shot. Known for filming his scenes with multiple cameras simultaneously to capture different angles in a single take, Scott had him watch a sequence with his on-screen partner Jacob Elordi:
“He took me into his trailer and showed me the scene. It was a very good sequence, very dynamic. He looked at me and said, ‘So?’ I replied: ‘OK! All right !’ And from that moment, I began to enter his world…“
A few days were enough for the actor to completely change his mind.
“It took me a day or two to accept this way of working. Then I loved it. It was incredibly creative and risk-taking. I realized that it was exactly what I was looking for, although at first I rejected it because there was absolutely no comfort.”
In the end, Josh Brolin says that The Dog Stars became “one of the most creative and satisfying projects” of his entire career.
Ridley Scott’s next film, expected in French theaters on August 26.
