Josh Brolin Almost Had A 'Scrap' With Denzel Washington

Becoming a successful actor is no easy feat. There is as much luck involved as anything else. Even nepo babies may have a harder time than others, albeit for different reasons. Josh Brolin is a good example of such a nepo baby. He has his dad’s name and good looks, but as he’s noted lately, he had a bit of a self-destructive streak. Brolin had stints in jail, issues with drugs and alcohol, and was convinced he wouldn’t live into his old age.

Luckily, Brolin’s life turned around. He made a successful career for himself, starring in some of the biggest films ever made and writing beautiful (albeit strange) poetry about his co-stars. He came out on the other side of darkness with renewed drive and purpose. Now, he’s reflecting on his life and the mistakes he’s made. That includes putting his hands on Denzel Washington.

Brolin worked with Washington on Ridley Scott’s 2007 film American Gangster. He explained during an interview with Graham Bensinger that producer Brian Grazer had been walking around the set literally singing praises for Brolin and co-star Russell Crowe. Brolin thinks that may have gotten under Denzel’s skin, saying, “So I get through moments with Russell and then Denzel. And Denzel showed up. He was a little late to set and it was a whole thing there and then he showed me the lines.”

Despite interacting with Brolin, the actor claimed Denzel “wouldn’t really look at” him. Brolin noted that he was a little nervous working with one of the greatest actors ever. “So he’s trying to remember the structure and then we rehearsed. It wasn’t that many lines,” Brolin explained. “And I’m supposed to be super confident. It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s like, not easy. You’re just this actor who they’re trying out, seeing if he’s the real thing or not. And I forgot a line.”

Forgetting a line is no big deal. It happens all the time! But Brolin took the mistake a bit further. “I put my hand on his shoulder and I said, ‘What’s the line?’ and he hit my hand off and he said, ‘Don’t ever f***ing put your hand on me,’” Brolin noted. The interaction put him on edge, “And I was like, ‘Holy s***, I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy.’ We’re not actors anymore … at least in my mind.”

The two did not come to blows, and Brolin thinks Washington’s reaction may have been the actor staying in character. “In his mind, he was just doing his job. He was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we got through that moment and I said, ‘Are you OK?’ He said, ‘Yeah, you?’ I said ‘Yeah. Can I get my line?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, go for it.’ It’s like he said what he needed to say.”

It’s not okay to put your hands on someone, even in a casual manner, without establishing that it is okay ahead of time. Things can get intense when you’re working with other actors and quickly bonding 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 didn’t let things get out of hand.