Josh Brolin says Ridley Scott’s unconventional, multi-camera approach terrified him on the first day of The Dog Stars—so much so he called his agent and asked to leave. He stayed after Scott let him watch a finished sequence with Jacob Elordi, and Brolin later
Josh Brolin didn’t just find Ridley Scott’s set intense—he wanted to walk away on the first day.
In the upcoming post-apocalyptic film The Dog Stars, Brolin plays Bruce Bangley, an ex-Marine. But before Bangley ever had a chance to take shape on screen. Brolin said he was thrown off by Scott’s unconventional filmmaking style: shooting scenes with multiple cameras from different angles. without the kind of rehearsal he was expecting.
“Its unconventional filmmaking approach involved shooting scenes with multiple cameras from different angles. which was something the actor had to make peace with. ” Brolin explained. He told Empire that despite being initially terrified. “It became one of the more creative. satisfying projects that I’ve ever been involved with.”.
Brolin said Scott’s process—talking through stories while not rehearsing—didn’t sit well with him. “Ridley was talking a lot of stories and not really rehearsing. And it bugged me out and I got really scared,” he said, describing his first day on set.
That discomfort only grew. Brolin said he called his agent after the shoot wrapped and told him he wanted to leave. “Luckily, my agent is a close friend,” Brolin recalled. “He said, ‘Rest for a day.’”
Brolin wasn’t convinced. “No, man, I know what the f**k you’re doing. It’s not one of those day-things. And I was right.”
What changed his mind wasn’t a promise—it was proof. Scott invited Brolin to watch footage from a scene he had just shot with Jacob Elordi. Scott showed him the complete sequence and asked whether it was “Okay?”
Seeing how the approach came together helped Brolin understand the “vision and the logic behind his unconventional filmmaking.” He said it took about a day or two for the fear to fully give way to enthusiasm. “It took about a day or two for me to really embrace that and then I got super into it. because it was stratospherically creative and stratospherically dangerous. ” he said. “It was like. ‘This is what I’ve been asking for. ’ but now I’m getting it. I’m fighting it. because there’s zero comfort in it.”.
By the time The Dog Stars moved forward, Brolin wasn’t just adapting to Scott—he was leaning into it.
The movie marks another collaboration between Scott and Brolin after their 2007 film American Gangster. In The Dog Stars. set in a world devastated by a deadly flu pandemic. the story follows Hig. a civilian pilot. and Bangley. a former Marine. as they navigate life after civilization collapses. The screenplay was written by Mark L. Smith.
The film is based on Peter Heller’s bestselling 2012 novel of the same title. It’s produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by 20th Century Studios.
Brolin stars alongside Jacob Elordi, with Margaret Qualley, Allison Janney, Guy Pearce and Benedict Wong completing the cast. The Dog Stars arrives in theaters on August 28, with U.S. release also set for August 28.
Josh Brolin Ridley Scott The Dog Stars Jacob Elordi Bruce Bangley Margaret Qualley Allison Janney Guy Pearce Benedict Wong Mark L. Smith Peter Heller Scott Free Productions 20th Century Studios American Gangster