Josh Brolin is looking back on his former friendship with Donald Trump, years before he was elected as the President of the United States.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery actor became acquainted with Trump when they worked together on the set of Oliver Stone’s sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010). While they both filmed for the movie, the current president’s role was later removed from the final cut.

Watch the Videos Here

In an interview with The Independent, Brolin was asked if his character in Knives Out 3, Monsignor Wicks, a pompous and ignorant priest, was based on Trump. The actor denied it and said any statement implying that the president inspired the character in any way would be untrue. “I could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed,” he told the publication.

Brolin said that he was not afraid of his former friend despite all the chaos and drama that had come with his presidency. And, he stated that although he was bragging about staying in office forever, he highly doubts it is going to happen, and if it does, he’ll just “deal with” it. He also added that when they were friends, he was a completely different person from who he is today.

I’m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he’s staying forever, it’s just not going to happen. 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 went on to say that his early encounters with the businessman were more calm and collected than his political public persona. He acknowledged the likelihood that there was a lot of corruption surrounding Trump’s ventures. However, he was still fascinated by everything he was able to accomplish. To him, the person he once knew is almost the opposite of what he sees now. “It’s power unmitigated, it’s unregulated,” he explained.

Despite his fractured view of President Trump, Brolin doesn’t think he’s all bad. He indirectly complimented his talent when it came to marketing and business affairs. He adds that he really knows how to work a crowd, which is what makes him a good “mascot” to his supporters.

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.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is currently playing in select theaters. It will be available to stream on Netflix on December 12, 2025.