Ahead of the Netflix release of Knives Out 3, or Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, star Josh Brolin sat for an interview where he discussed a variety of topics, including his friendship with Donald Trump. Brolin talked about the time he knew Trump before he became the President.
Josh Brolin recalls having been a friend of Donald Trump
In his latest interview with The Independent, Josh Brolin touched on many aspects of his life and career, including some insight into Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, which releases on Netflix on December 12, 2025.
The No Country For Old Men star plays tyrannical Monsignor Wicks, a cult leader-like figure. Similar to how Glass Onion’s Edward Norton had similarities to Elon Musk, Wicks seemingly has similarities to Donald Trump. However, Brolin sees Trump differently from most others. He also emphasized that he did not base Wicks on Trump.
“I could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed,” Brolin explained. “Wicks garners a sense of power, then there are no boundaries.”
Brolin and Trump have a history with each other. “I’m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he’s staying for ever, it’s just not going to happen,” he explained. “And if it does, then I’ll deal with that moment. But having been a friend of Trump before he was president, I know a different guy.”
Brolin knew a Donald Trump who was a builder and entrepreneur. He spent time with the President after appearing in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.
Continuing on Trump, Brolin added, “I’m sure there was a lot of corruption involved,” referring to building a 400 million dollar hotel in the late 1970s. “That’s interesting to me. Now it’s power unmitigated, it’s unregulated,” he noted.
He further added about the President, “There is no greater genius than him in marketing. He takes the weakness of the general population and fills it. And that’s why I think a lot of people feel that they have a mascot in him. I think it’s much less about Trump than it is about the general population and their need for validation.”
