Josh Brolin is looking back on his past friendship with President Donald Trump.

The "Wake Up Dead Man" star, 57, spoke with The Independent about his relationship with Trump after becoming friends with him years before the real estate mogul's ascension to the White House.

Brolin and Trump crossed paths in 2010, when Trump was still just a New York businessman and Brolin was starring in the Oliver Stone film "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," a financial drama set in New York. Trump filmed a scene for the movie, which didn't make the final cut.

"I'm not scared of Trump, because even though he says he's staying forever, it's just not going to happen," Brolin told The Independent. "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 was alluding to concerns that Trump will attempt to seek a third term as president, which is prohibited by the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Trump told NBC News earlier this year that "a lot of people want me to" run for a third term, and in October, he said he would "love" to do so, though he later added it's "pretty clear" that "I'm not allowed to run" again in 2028.

Brolin also told The Independent that "there is no greater genius than [Trump] in marketing," adding, "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."

In "Wake Up Dead Man," the third film in the "Knives Out" murder mystery series, Brolin stars as a charismatic priest who creates a cult-like atmosphere at a church in upstate New York. The actor is also coming off a role as a ruthless television producer opposite Glen Powell in "The Running Man."

The "Avengers: Infinity War" star previously recalled on "In Depth with Graham Bensinger" that he, Trump, Stone, Shia LaBeouf and Melania Trump had dinner together in New York in 2010, which is when he and Trump met and became friends. In May 2012, Trump posted on Twitter that Brolin was "a friend of mine" and praised the actor for his "terrific" work in the movie "Men in Black 3."

Additionally, during a 2016 appearance on "The Late Show," Brolin said he read "a lot of" Trump's books and "was a big fan" of his, highlighting the then-candidate's work as a businessman. "He single-handedly turned around the economy of Manhattan," Brolin said. "I found that very fascinating. I think he's an interesting guy in that way."

But Brolin told Bensinger in 2024 that he and Trump were "no longer" friends. And on "The Late Show" in 2018, he said that while he "used to take pride" in knowing Trump, he no longer does. In the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election, the actor wrote on Instagram that "I refuse to believe that Donald Trump is our core version of American masculinity," adding that Trump "has lied over 50,000 documented times."

Stone recalled directing Trump in his scrapped "Wall Street" scene during a 2016 appearance at Comic-Con. The filmmaker said at the time, "After every take [Trump] jumped up and he said, 'Wasn't that great?' And I said, 'Honestly, no.' The confidence is unbelievable."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Brolin looks back on his past friendship with President Trump

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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