Josh Brolin didn’t hold back his thoughts on the film “Jonah Hex” in an interview with GQ published Tuesday.
The actor laid bare his thoughts on the 2010 superhero flick and its director, Jimmy Hayward. Brolin, who took on the lead role of the scarred bounty hunter in the poorly received superhero film, was forthright about its quality.
“I won’t ever stop shit**ng on Jonah Hex,” he told GQ. “Because it was a shi*ty f**king movie!”
However, Brolin’s recent conversation with Hayward offered him a fresh perspective on the director’s personal challenges during and after the film’s production. Hayward faced severe health issues, including a debilitating form of bone cancer. This prompted Brolin to reflect on his previous criticisms. (RELATED:‘It’s Intimidating’: Dave Bautista Dishes On His Man Crush On Josh Brolin)
Josh Brolin is an actor’s-actor with a movie star’s blockbuster résumé, which isn’t bad for a reformed hell-raiser who expected to end up dead or in jail. #GQHYPE
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— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) February 27, 2024
“It reminded me [that] you can’t just keep shitting on somebody,” Brolin shared with GQ. “I don’t know what the fuck’s going on in his life. I mean, total facial reconstruction, the whole thing.”
Despite a cast that boasted talents like Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender and John Malkovich, “Jonah Hex” faltered at the box office, garnering a mere $5.37 million on its opening weekend with a total haul of just $10.54 million, according to Forbes.
Brolin previously discussed the hasty directorial hiring process for the film in a Variety interview Mar. 2023. He recounted the pressure to quickly find a director or risk the project’s cancellation.
“I remember Jeff Robinov, who I’m still close with, who was running Warner Brothers at the time and he was like, look, you’ve got to get a director in the next two weeks, otherwise we’ve got to can this thing,” Brolin told Variety. “And then you meet somebody who has a lot of knowledge, Jimmy Hayward, and I remember it didn’t feel right.”
The film star appreciated Hayward’s enthusiasm for directing the movie, yet noted his lack of experience.
“He didn’t treat it like I would imagine somebody would want to treat it.” Brolin continued. “And then the studio took it over and every time that’s happened, in my experience, it has only gotten worse. It was not successful creatively or monetarily.”