Josh Brolin, during a Saturday interview with The Independent, shared that his character in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery was not inspired by Donald Trump, whom he once considered a friend and a "genius" in "marketing." When discussing his portrayal of Monsignor Wicks in the latest Knives Out film, Brolin emphasized that the character was not based on the president. "I could make something up and say it was rooted in a kind of Trumpian greed," he noted, adding that after Wicks gains a sense of power, "there are no boundaries."
The topic of Trump prompted Brolin to share his former friendship with the president, further addressing speculation about Trump running for a third term. "I’m not scared of Trump, because even though he says he’s staying forever, it’s just not going to happen," Brolin said. "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 recalled his time after starring in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, when the president was supposed to make a cameo. When discussing Trump's business ventures, the actor praised him for his "genius" in marketing, saying that "he takes the weakness of the general population and fills it." He added, "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."
