Josh Brolin recalls the time dad James Brolin made the family eat his pet pig when he was a child

https://ew.com/josh-brolin-dad-james-brolin-made-family-eat-childhood-pet-pig-8749161

18 comments

  1. >”So this story of me raising pigs, this is a horrible story,” Brolin warned. “Oink and Snort, those were their names. I helped raise these pigs, and then we’re eating dinner one night — it’s amazing to me that he would tell you that story. It makes him look so bad.”

    >The *No Country for Old Men* actor described his dad saying “‘Guess what you’re eating.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Either Oink or Snort.’ I said, ‘What?” He went, ‘Yeah, that’s what we’re eating. That’s who we slaughtered.’ I was like, ‘Why would you tell a kid that?’ It makes no sense. Why would you tell your kid that, with any semblance of, like, celebration? Or was he just looking to have an impact?”

    >Brolin surmised his father “was looking to have an impact.” When Bensinger questioned what kind of impact James could possibly have wanted to make, Josh replied, “Psychologically? On camera? In front of you? I mean, I could get into it.”

    >”When you feel like you don’t have an impact, that’s when you start to look for any impact, whether it’s a negative impact or not,” he continued. “I think I can break it down to it being that, because I can’t imagine saying that to my kid. It’s nowhere in my universe to say that to a kid. Why would you?”

  3. …that’s absolutely heartbreaking. Pigs are intelligent and emotionally complex creatures. The bond between a child and a pet they’ve raised is very powerful and beautiful. It’s just awful that Josh Brolin had that happen to him. That’s enough internet for me for today 🙁

  6. My grandmother is not a fan of my father. At all. Never has liked him from what I understand. My parents have never really been happy together either and there’s always been tension fpr as long as i can remmeber. When she’s trying to badmouth him to me she tells me how he nearly left while my mom was pregnant with me.

    What is her reasoning for that? She’s trying to say he’s a bad guy for that, but he stayed, he didn’t disappear etc. All it says to me is my parents stayed together and miserable because of me.

    I’m in my 40s now, and they’re all still alive too. Nothing has changed and my grandmother still brings that up every so often (I’ve talked to her less over thr years). Still hurts.

  7. The sad thing is that both those pigs were smarter and had more talent than James Brolin’s wife Barbra.

  8. This seems like a person who feels small deciding to hurt their kid to feel bigger. Fucked up in the head. I’m sure James Brolin had a shitty reason, but I’m thrilled Josh Brolin seems to be breaking the cycle.

  9. My mother’s uncle did the same thing with her pet goat. So sad:(

  11. On Christmas Eve when I was 14 my stepdad took my beautiful, silver furred cat into a field and shot him because he kept “peeing on stuff”. I was naturally extremely upset when I found out, and then got told I was ruining Christmas because of my attitude problem. That was a shit Christmas. I feel your pain Josh Brolin!

  12. With my dad, it was the exact same story but with my pet Easter rabbit on the plate. It was the only time he ever asked how I liked the “chicken,” and his shit-eating grin, along with my mother’s horrified reaction, gave him away.
    Narcissists feel no empathy.

  13. I love his candor. I always think when your movie star your life is gonna be perfect.

  14. My mother has a similar story but with a duck. She still can’t eat duck to this day.

  16. So he should have just killed one and not told the kid? I mean, if you want a pet then get a dog/cat. If I am paying to keep two pigs healthy and fat then don’t blame me for getting some bacon.

  17. My Uncle had a pet chicken that was dinner one night.

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