James Brolin on building aeroplanes and wooing Barbra Streisand: ‘When I first saw her I went whoa!’
10.06.2022 - 17:55
/ msn.com
Lightyear, the latest Toy Story offshoot – except, it turns out, Brolin isn’t allowed to discuss the movie yet. To have the ostensible object of conversation taken off the table would be, in most interviews, something of a disadvantage. But with Brolin, 81, it is a most fortuitous development because there is so much else to discuss.
“This one time, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and my dentist – who had a great Ferrari – and I drove race cars on the track. Gene was the fastest, but he drove the most cars off the road,” is one typical snatch of conversation from Brolin. “The only airplane I own right now is the one I finished building during the pandemic,” is another.
Who wouldn’t want to spend a day chewing the fat and courgette bread with him?In the UK, Brolin is probably best known for being the father of Josh Brolin and the husband of a little-known singer called Barbra Streisand, and he is more than fine with that, proudly mentioning both within the first 10 minutes of our conversation. This is a relief, because I worried beforehand how soon would be too soon to bring up La Streisand. So when he casually explains that we’re meeting in a restaurant instead of his home because “Barbra and I are having the barn painted”, I make a small excited squeak, then apologise and promise not to squeal every time he mentions his wife.
“Don’t worry, I totally understand,” he replies with a genial and proud smile. Taking this as an invitation to break my promise, I burble what a thrill it was to see her perform live in London a few years ago. “Were you there, too?” he asks.