Josh Brolin Reflects on Former Competitive Surf Career (Video)

Onscreen, Josh Brolin is known for his hardened, world-weary, often brazen characters – from Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men to Matt Graver in Sicario.

But in real life, Brolin is a bit more tender. He’s a good follow on social media, frequently posting well-worded screeds, poetry, musings about life, etc.

And before he hit the bigtime, he was a wild man growing up in the Santa Barbara area. He was even involved in a surf gang, at one point, dubbed the “Cito Rats.” But he also competed during his surfing days, and he did so alongside one of the greatest ever.

In a recently resurfaced clip from Graham Bensinger’s podcast, “In Depth,” Brolin recounted his short-lived surfing career with the style-master himself, Tom Curren:

“I was an okay surfer. I was [competing in] WSA and NSSA events. I was taken around by Tommy Curren, who became one of the greatest surfers…he became the best surfer in the world. Even looking back he became one of the greatest surfers who ever lived. His mother used to take us to all the contests. He got sober, found god, and focused on surfing.”

And while he doesn’t get in the water as much, these days, that love is still there.

“I loved surfing,” Brolin continued. “I still love surfing. I love the ocean. I love the sea. There’s something about the sea, emotionally, that makes me…the sea reminds me of my mother in this world. It’s emotional. It’s super calm. I can always count there’s going to be something going on. I don’t know why that’s the case; it just is.”

Back in 2015, TMZ got their grubby paws on footage of Brolin “saving” another surfer caught in a rip current while in Hawaii. “Josh Brolin to the rescue!” See below:

In the episode from Bensinger, Brolin added:

“I’m down at the water every day that I can be. I need to be saturated in it.”

Watch the full interview from 2024 below.