Josh Brolin Found Greater Financial Success as Stock Trader Than Actor for Two Decades
The Oscar-nominated actor revealed on a podcast that his five years in finance generated more income than his first 20 years in Hollywood.
Actor Josh Brolin, known for his roles in films like "No Country for Old Men" and "Avengers: Infinity War," has shared that a significant portion of his career earnings came not from acting, but from stock trading. Brolin told host Theo Von on the "This Past Weekend" podcast that between the ages of 30 and 35, he worked as a full-time stock trader and made more money than he had in the previous 20 years of his acting career.
Brolin, who first gained recognition as a teenager in the 1985 film "The Goonies," stated that he pursued acting seriously for 22 years before experiencing a career breakthrough with "No Country for Old Men" in 2007. He described early career struggles, including performing 350 auditions before "The Goonies" and admitting to being so nervous on the first day of shooting that he couldn't stop laughing. Following "The Goonies," he moved to New York to study theater.
During the two decades he dedicated to acting before "No Country for Old Men," Brolin also worked as a landscaper for a year. He then transitioned to full-time stock trading, engaging in both swing and day trading. He recounted working from home with multiple screens and numerous browser tabs open.
"I made more money in those four years, really... than I had made in 20 years acting," Brolin said, noting that he "didn't really make hardly anything acting" during that period. He specified that for his role in "No Country for Old Men," he was paid $100,000, clearing approximately $30,000, which he did not consider a high-earning year.
Brolin's acting career began to shift following "No Country for Old Men." He recalled sending an audition tape for "American Gangster" while still filming "No Country," with his then-16-year-old son playing the role opposite Denzel Washington. Brolin described this as his last audition.
Currently, Brolin is promoting the thriller "Whalefall," in which he plays the estranged father of a diver who is swallowed by a whale.