Actor Josh Brolin Had Zero Interest In Playing George W. Bush, Still Has No Interest In Meeting Him

In a Hollywood Reporter roundtable of Oscar-contending actors, Josh Brolin said at first he rejected the idea of playing George W. Bush for Oliver Stone: “Why the f— would I want to do that?” Now, “I’m so happy I did that movie.” But did you ever meet Bush? Brolin shot back: "No, no. No interest.”

It began when actor Michael B. Jordan (now in “Fruitvale Station”) asked the other actors, “Do you guys ever feel like you have to stay out of your own way in your own career? Like, if you just stepped out of the equation and let the universe bring it to you?” Brolin replied:

BROLIN: Like Oliver [Stone] coming to me and saying, "Do you want to do W.?" I was like, "Why the f--- would I want to do that?" Then he kept following me, and he'd show up at a dinner, or I'd see him at the next table at a restaurant, and he was literally stalking me at some point. But I'm so happy that I did that movie.

FOREST WHITAKER: Why would you not do it? This is a character that's pretty complex, pretty interesting.

BROLIN: Yeah, but in the beginning I thought, "It's Oliver" -- it was just gonna be a big bash-fest. And then we started talking about it, and I said: "I am interested in finding out sociologically why this guy [succeeded]. How did he do it twice? And why does everybody want to have a beer with this guy?" Then we started to play with that.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Did you ever meet George W. Bush?

BROLIN: No, no. No interest.

Isn't it funny when actors are as remarkably "uncurious" as they asserted Dubya was? I;m curious about what Brolin said instead of "succeeded." Earlier, Brolin suggested he wasn't super-egotistical:

BROLIN: I've never had that feeling in any movie where I actually feel like I'm nailing it.

WHITAKER: You don't feel the magic of it once in a while?

BROLIN: Never ever.