No Country for Old Men star Josh Brolin reveals how the movie’s pit bull scene almost went very wrong (and the Coens didn’t care). The Coen Brothers’ 2007 Oscar-winner stars Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, a man who thinks he’s hit the jackpot after discovering a suitcase of money at the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong, but lives to regret his snap decision to keep the loot. In one of the film’s most thrilling sequences, Moss is pursued by two men with a pit bull, and manages to barely survive his fight with the vicious animal.
Speaking recently to GQ about his most iconic roles, Brolin discussed shooting Llewelyn’s pit bull encounter, revealing the trick that was used to get the dog to chase him, and talking about the Coen Brothers’ complete indifference to the discomfort he experienced while filming in a freezing river. Check out his remarks below (around 15:00 of the clip):
Scooby was the pit bull that was used to come after me. It was a trained dog. It’s like, you don’t have to worry about getting hurt. And then at one point he wasn’t following me, we’re doing it over and over and over, and they gave me a chew toy. They go, “Have him see you put it in your pants and then he’ll come after it.” Meaning he’ll come after you.
And then you’re in the water and then you’re freezing and then you’re trying to keep your face above water and you’re not able to use your right arm and then you look back and you see this dog’s just like, I just can’t wait to just eat you, but he wants to eat the thing that’s in your crotch, so even if he doesn’t eat you, he is gonna eat your crotch and that’s never a good thing.
He got closer and closer and I went with one arm trying to get under, but I couldn’t get under, cause I had the floaty in my crotch. So I reached down and I’m pulling at this thing and I’m trying to get it out, but my pants are wet so they’re stuck to my stomach and stuck to my legs, and finally I rip it out and probably ripped something else with it and then threw it away and then [Scooby] didn’t care about me. He went another direction.
But yeah, Scooby was super scary. Then you look over at the Coens and what are they doing? They’re not concerned about their lead actor in the least, like not even for a nanosecond, just laughing, smiling and laughing.
The Coen Brothers May Never Top No Country For Old Men
Adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. A film having a good Oscar night does not guarantee it will be remembered well by posterity, of course, but in the case of No Country, the film’s reputation as a classic has only grown in the nearly two decades since its release.
The Coens have gone on to make more films since their 2007 Oscar night triumph, including acclaimed works like Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, True Grit and Inside Llweyn Davis. True Grit indeed is their highest-rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 95% fresh rating (compared to No Country’s 93%), but when it comes to awards and lasting impact, No Country is arguably their best film, and it will be difficult for them to ever top it.
In addition to a great lead performance from Brolin (and a strong canine performance from Scooby, with aid from a strategically placed chew toy), No Country features one of movie history’s great villain turns from Javier Bardem. It also includes one of Tommy Lee Jones’ most legendary performances. No Country for Old Men‘s story is a classic neo-Western tale touching on themes that seem as old as time, and the Coen Brothers’ filmmaking skill is fully on display throughout its gripping runtime.
No Country for Old Men
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
No Country for Old Men is a western crime-thriller based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy and directed by the Cohen Brothers. Following three protagonists, the film centers around a large $2,000,000+ cache of dirty money lost near the Rio Grande. With a veteran who finds it, a hitman who will stop at nothing to get it, and a sheriff trying to investigate the crimes connected to it, all roads lead to death and mayhem as they find themselves in each other’s crosshairs.
- Director
- Joel Coen , Ethan Coen
- Release Date
- November 21, 2007
- Studio(s)
- MiraMax
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures , MiraMax
- Writers
- Ethan Coen , Joel Coen
- Cast
- Kelly Macdonald , Woody Harrelson , Josh Brolin , Javier Bardem , Tommy Lee Jones
- Runtime
- 122 minutes
- Budget
- $25 million
