But he has been turning heads for more than 50 years. Since first pulling up on his Triumph Bonneville motorcycle on the TV hit Marcus Welby, M.D. in 1969, Brolin—now with nearly 100 acting credits to his name—has proven himself to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring and dependable stars. And while it is perhaps a cliché to proclaim that he’s not ready to slow down at age 80, it’s true. The veteran actor is narrating an upcoming Netflix adaptation of a comic-book series, Sweet Tooth, co-produced by Robert Downey Jr., and he has three new movies in development, one of which he plans to direct. (He has also directed two Hallmark movies and some episodic TV.) He’s an avid pilot, race car driver, equestrian, dog trainer and home designer too. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put a screeching halt last year to so many things—including the peppy momentum of his career. “It’s too bad I had to rip up and throw away 2020,” he says, “because I was on a roll, and people were excited to work with this 80-year-old fart. I’m just hoping we can step it back up.” On the upside? He has been spending quality time with his wife of 22 years, superstar Barbra Streisand, 78, at their sprawling compound in Malibu, California. “It’s brought us closer because we fill the day together,” Brolin says. At least four days a week, the two exercise and go swimming in the backyard pool. Later, he says, “We sit out reading whatever periodicals are stacking up. This time has been a big gift.” As a special bonus today, Brolin’s famed actress/singer/director wife arranged the lighting perfectly in their regal library, where he’s Zooming with Parade. A framed photo of his granddaughter Westlyn, 2, sits beside him on a table. Another granddaughter, Chapel, was born this past Christmas Day; he’s a grandpa as well to Trevor, 32, and Eden, 26. “They’re all from Josh!” he says of his actor son, one of his three adult kids. Before Brolin and Streisand sit down for dinner—her longtime chef does the cooking —he leans back on his couch to talk about his growing family, why he’s never made a movie with his wife and how he got his start in show business. So how does it feel to be 80? I’ll tell you: About five years ago, I would look in the mirror and go, “What is happening?” Then I met [surfer] Laird Hamilton at a party, and he invited me to work out with him in the pool. He literally started me off in the deep end with 20 pounds of weights. It changed my life. Now I’m a different guy. I think Clint Eastwood—who’s 10 years older than me—once said that when he gets up in the morning, he “never lets the old man in.” I get it: I have to fight this crap off. Do you worry about staying mentally sharp? My brain works pretty good. I’ve been an avid pilot for 50 years, which requires constant upgrading and testing every two years. Forty years ago, is this how you envisioned your life? I don’t think anyone projects themselves that far ahead. But to answer your question, 40 years ago I thought I had it made. Then I got in and out of marriages that drained me. [He was wed to wildlife activist Jane Agee from 1966 to 1984 and actress Jan Smithers from 1986 to 1995.] I worried a lot. But I got past that. In fact, I’ve told Josh, who’s 52, that the best 10 years of your life are in your 50s. I met Barbra when I was 56. What did you learn from those marriages that enabled you to get it right the third time? Oh, how to run like hell. My parents [Henry, a contractor, and Helen Sue, a homemaker] didn’t teach me anything; my sweet mother thought everything was always so perfect, so I was not a good attitude negotiator. The best part of being married later in life is you get great wisdom—you don’t have your learner’s permit anymore. It seems like you and Barbra have been madly in love since day one. I think a common question with all relationships is what you do when the endorphins leave. Because there’s something about biology that keeps you like that for a while. You’re not in the right mind, and then work and logic and boredom come, and you have to switch to that lifetime love. I saw that with my parents and especially my aunt and her husband. Why haven’t you two ever collaborated professionally? She always says that if we ever worked together that I’d be a bit of trouble. But I wouldn’t be at all. We did read several scripts early on in our relationship, and nothing felt quite right to go, “Let’s go try this and sell it.” This was the first six or seven years of our marriage. The movies never even got made. Looking back, which movies awed you enough to consider an acting career? At 10 years old, I sat in a theater in Los Angeles and watched Flying Leathernecks with John Wayne. I thought, Oh, my God, [what an] incredible thing. That started my interest in flying too. Then when I was 15, my parents had an acquaintance who invited me to tour a movie studio. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—there was a Western town inside a stage! That started it all. You also grew up with Ryan O’Neal. Did he influence you? His name was Pat O’Neal then. He got into some trouble—getting into fistfights and stealing hubcaps when he was 17—and the judge said he had to go with his dad [Charles, a screenwriter] to Germany or go to reform school. He came back so smart and well-read. Meanwhile, I was asked to do a Dodge truck commercial where I drove around in a cowboy hat. Then the ad agency offered me a wine commercial. A Hollywood agent showed up and said, “Ryan said we ought to meet you.” That led to a studio contract with Fox. He’s kind of an extraordinary guy. How did Marcus Welby, M.D. impact your career? I went from total obscurity bouncing around the Fox lot to Emmy-winning actor. I won it for the pilot episode, which I don’t think anyone has ever done. It’s the prize of the year. But I never worried I had peaked too soon, and I still don’t. It’s funny how fickle this business is in that you can go from nothing to starring in something to nothing again. But you’ve worked consistently for so many years. OK, so while I was working on Marcus Welby, I got cast in Skyjacked. The following year I did [the movie] Westworld, which was a hit. Then came Capricorn One [1978] and The Amityville Horror [1979]. But then I didn’t work for two years. My agent said that nobody knew where to put me because I was such a nutcase in Amityville Horror. That’s when Aaron Spelling stepped up and said, “I’ll give you incredible freedom if you do [the TV series] Hotel for me.” I did it for about six years. But once you’re in TV, it’s usually hard to go back to movies. You were supposed to star as James Bond in Octopussy [1983]. What happened is that Roger Moore said he’d never do another Bond movie. So the producers asked me to go to London and start working out and do a screen test. It all went well and I was ready. Two weeks later, Roger agreed to go back. But it didn’t take me a long time to get over it because the whole thing was absurdly wonderful. I look at it as a gift. Was your Bond going to have an American accent? The producer, Cubby Broccoli, said he didn’t like the idea of it, but he suggested [that I work on] an accent that was somewhat stagy; it was mid-Atlantic, like someone on Broadway. What’s your all-time favorite performance? There’s a lot of pressure trying to imitate someone. But I loved playing Clark Gable in Gable & Lombard [1976], and the movie was so wonderful. But the picture was pulled in one week. My theory was that there was a Universal Studios executive who was mad at me because he didn’t like some of my demands. But when I have an opinion about something, I’m going to share it. Ever regret turning down a part? Just one. Oliver Stone was a screenwriter and financing his first directorial effort, The Hand [1981]. He said, “Jim Brolin is the guy.” I read it and thought it was awful. A week didn’t pass before Michael Caine took it. It would have been great working for him. But Josh did—he played George W. Bush in W. In fact, you’ve told Josh that the key to longevity in Hollywood is to be a character actor and not a leading man. What do you mean? To be a character actor means you’re not just saying lines or featured in the credits. If it’s offbeat, it’s great. My standard advice is always to start your own university. You teach yourself; you choose the courses; and you graduate magna cum laude—or you don’t belong there. You have to have it. And I do believe Josh has listened. You’re obviously proud of his success in films like Avengers: Endgame, No Country for Old Men and Sicario. But are you surprised by it? You know, I’ve observed that a guy doesn’t usually get a seat at the movies until he’s about 35 and starts smelling like a man. But what surprised me is that Josh had a career from very early on—he was in The Goonies when he was 15. And then he backpacked in Europe and did a few Broadway plays. He’s done all the things that I was too scared to do. He’s put in some humiliating, difficult work too. He’s done it all, and now he’s set for life. Are your other two kids in the business at all? My daughter, Molly, has been an associate producer on three of my films. They were low-budget, so I liked that I could turn things over for her to help. She’s also a jewelry designer and craftsperson, and she’s really good. I do get a lot of “Daddy, you’re judging me!” and that’s when I have to back off. My son Jess lives in a mountain town and runs a charity organization. Right now, he’s probably the happiest of us all. I know he’s been photographed collecting bottles and cans out of the trash, but all the money went to charity. What’s the best part about being a grandparent? Love just flows like you’ve never seen it before. I don’t know where it comes from. It’s just pure idolatry. I think all these children are amazing. Westlyn is personality plus! It’s just too bad I didn’t get to spend more time with Trevor and Eden when they were growing up because they lived far away from me. Your life appears very settled and domesticated now. It is. We’ve often thought about buying a house in Connecticut, but then we decided to take a little concrete block house on our property and turn it into a nice screening room as well as our offices. So now if we want to go somewhere, we just walk 300 feet and have fun. What have you watched lately? We saw The Prom on Netflix. Meryl Streep was absolutely wonderful in it, but I thought the film turned to gibberish. Barbra really dismissed it. Gotta ask: Does Barbra sing in the house? No, she doesn’t sing or play her music at all unless she’s putting together a video request for somebody and has to go through old footage. She loves recording, but once she’s finished, that it; it’s old news. I say that about films too: Day-old film is half-price, just the same as [bread] in the bakery. What fresh projects are you working on? I’ve got three projects that I’m developing. One is about the “Long Island Lolita” and Joey Buttafuoco. Do you remember him? And then I’d like to direct a movie about Ruby McCollum, who was a Black woman accused of murder in the 1950s. And then there’s a tragic love story set in Paris called Grief. I’m working hard. Does retirement cross your mind? I love to have a day of just doing nothing. But then I get on my projects and start rewriting. I have a really active friend who’s about 99 years old and still going. I’ve never talked to him about what he does, but he’s always a pistol. That’s what I aim to be.
Brolin Bytes
Favorite Movie Being There (1979]: “It’s an hour and a half of trying to clarify a misunderstanding. That’s the fun of movies to me.” TV Show Binge “We were up until 3 a.m. watching The Fall with Gillian Anderson. She’s amazing in it. But it’s a little gritty, so don’t have the kids in there.” If I Weren’t an Actor, I’d Be… “A cinematographer. I had a darkroom when I was 10 and was making pinhole cameras with tape using a camera that my grandmother gave me.” Food That’s Always in the Fridge “Dave’s Killer Organic Bread, with the seeds on it.” Favorite Vacation Spot “I lived in Paso Robles for 10 years, where I raised and trained horses and dogs. I still love going up there. I also love the Mexican coast near the water, like Punta Mita.” Most Underappreciated Role “In the 1960s, I was sent to South Africa to make a little movie with Jacqueline Bisset called The Cape Town Affair. It’s stupid and silly, but it was a feature role I could show somebody. It’s the movie that got me the Welby pilot.” Words of Wisdom “I’m not Jewish, but I like to use a wonderful proverb: ‘Man makes plans and God laughs.’” Next, From Space Jam to Dune, Here’s Every Movie Coming to HBO Max in 2021
