Becoming a successful actor is no easy feat. There is as much luck as anything else. Even nepo babies can have a more difficult time than others, although for different reasons. Josh Brolin is a good example of such a baby nepo. He bears his father’s name and good looks, but as he noted recently, he had a bit of a self-destructive side. Brolin had served stints in prison, had drug and alcohol problems, and was convinced he would not live to old age.

Fortunately, Brolin’s life has changed. He had a successful career, starring in some of the greatest films ever made and writing beautiful (if strange) poetry about his co-stars. He emerged from the other side of the darkness with renewed drive and determination. Now he reflects on his life and the mistakes he made. This includes getting your hands on Denzel Washington.

Brolin worked with Washington on the 2007 Ridley Scott film American gangster. He explained during an interview with Graham Bensinger that producer Brian Grazer would walk around the set literally singing the praises of Brolin and his co-star. Russell Crowe. Brolin thinks this may have gotten under Denzel’s skin, saying, “So I have moments with Russell and then Denzel. And Denzel arrived. He was a little late getting set up and it was a whole thing there, and then he showed me the lines.

Despite his interaction with Brolin, the actor claimed that Denzel “wouldn’t really look at him.” Brolin noted that he was a little nervous working with one of the greatest actors of all time. “So he tries to remember the structure, and then we rehearsed. There weren’t a lot of lines,” Brolin explained. “And I’m supposed to be super confident. It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s not easy. You’re just this actor they’re trying out, to see if he’s the real one or not. And I forgot a line.

Forgetting a line is no big deal. This happens all the time! But Brolin took the error a little further. “I put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘What’s the line?’ and he hit my hand and he said, ‘Don’t ever put your hand on me,’ Brolin noted. The interaction put him on edge: “And I was like, ‘Holy shit, I’m going to part ways with Denzel Washington.’ It’s crazy. We are no longer actors… at least in my mind.

The two did not come to blows, and Brolin believes Washington’s reaction may have been for the actor to stay in character. “In his mind, he was just doing his job. His name was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we went through this moment and I said, “Are you okay?” He said, “Yeah, what about you?” I said ‘Yeah. Can I have my line? He says, “Yeah, go ahead.” » It’s like he said what he needed to say.

It is not acceptable to lay hands on someone, even informally, without first establishing that everything is okay. Things can get intense when you’re working with other actors and bonding quickly during production, but boundaries still need to be respected. Regardless, Brolin went on to explain that he and Washington are friends now, over 15 years later. As seems to be a theme with Brolin, he made a mistake, but luckily he didn’t let things get out of hand.