Josh Brolin reflected on his previous friendship with Donald Trump\u00a0\u2014 back when the POTUS was a real estate mogul based in New York City. Calling him a \u201cgenius\u201d in marketing, the Oscar-nominated Milk actor said he knew a \u201cdifferent guy\u201d than the figure the GOP leader cuts today.<\/p>\n
In a sprawling interview with The Independent<\/a> promoting Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Brolin said he didn\u2019t base his character, the megalomaniacal Monsignor Wicks who leads a local church, off of the president.<\/p>\n More from Deadline<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n Of his past acquaintanceship, he said, \u201cI\u2019m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he\u2019s staying forever, it\u2019s just not going to happen. And if it does, then I\u2019ll deal with that moment. But having been a friend of Trump before he was president, I know a different guy.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, discussing the Trump Hotel: \u201cI\u2019m sure there was a lot of corruption involved,\u201d he remarked, adding that he found \u201cinteresting\u201d the idea of building a high-rise \u201cin the middle of a cesspool city during the late \u201970s \u2026 now it\u2019s power unmitigated, it\u2019s unregulated.\u201d<\/p>\n The No Country for Old Men alum concluded: \u201cThere is no greater genius than him in marketing \u2013 he takes the weakness of the general population and fills it. And that\u2019s why I think a lot of people feel that they have a mascot in him. I think it\u2019s much less about Trump than it is about the general population and their need for validation.\u201d<\/p>\n Brolin has been forthcoming about having been friends with Trump, whom he first met after filming Oliver Stone\u2019s\u00a0Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps in 2010. While speaking with journalist Graham Bensinger last year<\/a>, the Weapons star described that initial dinner \u2014 which also featured Stone, co-star Shia LaBeouf and First Lady-to-be Melania Trump \u2014 as leading to the \u201cweirdest fucking moment\u201d in which the tycoon ignored his three separate asks to tour the upstairs of his Manhattan apartment.<\/p>\n In later years, during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2016<\/a>, Brolin emphasized he \u201cwas\u201d buddies with Trump, echoing current sentiments by characterizing the reality star-turned-politician as having \u201csinglehandedly turned around the economy of Manhattan. I found that very fascinating. I think he\u2019s an interesting guy.\u201d<\/p>\n And, in 2020, Brolin shared an Instagram missive<\/a> \u2014 in which he described himself as a \u201cconservative Democrat\u201d \u2014 speaking out against Trump ahead of that year\u2019s presidential election, saying, \u201cI refuse to believe that Donald Trump is our core version of American masculinity.\u201d<\/p>\n Best of Deadline<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Deadline’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n