Bush role in "W." is Josh Brolin's latest on surge to stardom

Once Josh Brolin found a fresh source of income outside Hollywood, his acting career took off.

Brolin spent nearly two decades toiling in mostly forgettable roles until he sold his family ranch and became an active stock and real-estate investor, the income freeing him from taking any old acting job.

A flurry of high-profile parts followed in films by Robert Rodriguez, Paul Haggis and Ridley Scott, culminating in a star-making turn in the Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" and now the title role as George W. Bush in Oliver Stone's "W.," opening Friday.

Brolin initially turned down the Bush role, figuring anyone who wants to get a dose of the president could just turn on CNN.

The actor said he potentially had more to lose than he might gain by starring in a chancy film such as "W.," with all its expectations and preconceptions.

"I said at the time, why do you need to see a movie about this guy, and why am I going to play the incumbent president when things are going pretty well for me, and I have choices?" Brolin said.

In the end, Brolin was drawn to the risk.

"He could have done a big-budget movie, gotten paid a lot of bucks after [[StartDouble]No Country"]. He was very much in demand and still is," Stone said. "He chose this movie for nothing, and it's a challenging role, because that's his nature, to be challenged by the material. I have to give the man full credit. He has the potential right now, at his age, at 40, because he's been up and down, to really become a mainstream American star."

Given Bush's verbal missteps over the years, Brolin could have fallen into the trap of playing him like a "Saturday Night Live" caricature, said James Cromwell, who plays the president's father. But Brolin delivers a performance that presents Bush as a full-blooded character, Cromwell said.

"It's a testament to the quality of the actor not to make the easy choice and not to hide behind that," Cromwell said.

Brolin said he drew on similarities between his background and Bush's to help get at the character.

Both are sons of famous men who followed their dads into the same profession. Brolin's upbringing on the family ranch in Paso Robles, Calif., also gave him insights into Bush's Texas background, he said.

"I talk about Paso Robles all the time because it brings me to a place that makes me comfortable. I just fit in there somehow," Brolin said.

"He does the same thing in a ... a much bigger way. Bush tried to bring Midland, Texas, with him to the Middle East and wanted to do basically what Reagan had done during the Cold War. 'I will bring Midland, Texas, to the Middle East and everyone will praise me.' Without taking into account having any respect for the diversity of this world. It's like what he says in the film. 'Any kind of government's fine with me as long as it's democracy.'"

"W." hits theaters less than three weeks before the presidential election, but Brolin doubts it will influence how anyone votes.

He does hope the film might inspire more people to at least consider voting.

"We need to get out there and create what we want to create," Brolin said. "It's our responsibility. You can sit there and point at the administration forever from your seat, from your couch, through your TV, or you can get up and actually do something about it.

"The Europeans, as much as they can be annoying, they have an incredible passion. They are involved. We're very involved in sports, statistics, winning, losing, but when it comes to politics, when people don't vote, I don't understand."