Josh Brolin Says Why He Almost Quit 'The Dog Stars': “Uncomfortable”

The story about Josh Brolin almost quitting the set of The Dog Stars has been making the rounds among film fans since late June, when the actor himself revealed that he considered walking away from the role of Bangley in Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic sci-fi film. But do you know why that happened, and how things ended up turning around for Brolin?

Omelete asked the actor about it during an interview to promote The Dog Stars, and he revealed the origins of his conflict with the director on set — but also said that, after getting used to Scott’s style, he came to see the experience of making the film as a true creative renewal. 

Check out this excerpt from the conversation, along with comments from Brolin’s co-stars, Guy Pearce and Jacob Elordi, about the British director’s anything-but-orthodox style.

OMELETE: Josh, I heard you describe the process of working with Ridley Scott as very creative, but also very dangerous. I was wondering if you could expand a little on that; what makes a Ridley Scott set so creative and so dangerous?

BROLIN: It’s dangerous especially because, when you start doing better as an actor or gain some status, you often begin working with directors who lean on your comfort zone. And I don’t think being in your comfort zone necessarily helps us as artists — that’s not where the magic is, comfort never creates. You know, great performances, to me, don’t happen when you have a perfect design, an illustrated map of everything you’re going to do. You need some direction as support, but you also need to be able to go in whatever direction feels best in the moment. And Ridley creates that from the beginning to the end of filming, he challenges you to step outside your comfort zone and find the way. 

At the beginning of filming, I’ll admit, I was very hesitant. And I knew Ridley [Brolin and the director had worked together before on American Gangster, in 2007], but he changed the way he works. I kept thinking, "what the f*ck are you doing, man?" because I was uncomfortable. But I think I grew during the process, actually pretty quickly, and I started trusting that discomfort a lot, I began feeding off it. And I’m not saying this just because I’m promoting this movie, and when you promote something you have to say it’s the best thing you’ve ever done, and the next one will be too, with the best director and the best actors you’ve ever worked with. Truly, this experience with Ridley was, creatively, like a spiritual experience for me. I think I had gotten used to working a certain way, settled into it, and The Dog Stars broke with that, which became immensely inspiring for me.

OMELETE: Guy, do you agree with Josh’s assessment of Ridley’s work? Do you think his set is very creative and very dangerous?

PEARCE: Yes, I think so. I mean, as everyone knows, he works with several cameras at the same time. So you do the wide shot, the two-shot, and the close-up all at once, and that’s a different way of working from other directors. It’s great, in a way, because you don’t spend hours and hours on a single scene. But he really wants to know what you’re going to bring to the role as an actor. If something doesn’t feel authentic, he’ll definitely tell you. If he needs you to be grumpier than you thought you needed to be in a scene, he’ll definitely say so. I’m thinking of that scene where Hig shows up at our farm, and Ridley really wanted me to be angry with him. I was like, "Really? Isn’t that a little too much?". But anyway, it works really well in the film.

OMELETE: Jacob, you’ve been choosing your characters very carefully in recent years. What was it about The Dog Stars that drew you in so strongly that it became impossible to say “no”?

ELORDI: For me, it was precisely the fact that it was a Ridley Scott film. Ridley is a pioneer of our cinema, the films we have now exist because of Ridley and some of the techniques he employed. So, for me, it was simply the opportunity to work with, historically, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. That’s the kind of thing that’s non-negotiable as an actor.

Everything you need to know about The Dog Stars

The Dog Stars follows Hig (Jacob Elordi, from Euphoria), a young pilot surviving in a post-apocalyptic world alongside military specialist Bangley (Josh Brolin, from Sicario). Their routine changes when he intercepts a mysterious radio transmission and sets out in search of signs of hope and other survivors.

The film’s cast also includes Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange), and Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3). It is set to premiere in theaters on August 28.