Josh Brolin’s Thanos looks practically gentle once you hear what his mother once did to a gorilla in real life. The Avengers: Endgame star has revealed that his mother, Jane Cameron Agee — a 5’2″, 105-pound wildlife powerhouse — once stared down an aggressive gorilla and made it freeze mid-chest-thump. On Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2024, he said,
My mom goes, ‘Stop it,’ and the gorilla literally in the midst of doing this goes ‘huh?’
That was the kind of childhood he had. His mom wasn’t just fearless. She was a force of nature who commanded both respect and awe, even from wild beasts.
Josh Brolin Describes His Mother as a ‘Severe Woman’
Josh Brolin shared the story with the ease of someone who has told it enough times to still be amazed by it. As a kid, he and his brother once went with their mother while she was working for California’s Department of Fish and Game. Handling wild, unpredictable animals was simply part of her day.
That day, even the handlers hesitated when she asked them to open the second cage door. They tried to warn her. The gorilla in there had injured people, harmed other animals—basically, he wasn’t exactly the welcoming type. But none of that shook her confidence. Agee simply asked them to open the door, the way someone might remind you to move your shoes from the hallway.
Brolin remembers exactly how the encounter played out. The gorilla puffed up like a full-blown action movie villain, pumping his chest and putting on the most dramatic show of dominance he could manage. And in the middle of all that noise, Agee looked him square in the face and said, “Stop it.” According to Brolin, the gorilla actually paused mid-display, confused by this unexpected scolding. He said, “This is the God’s honest truth, man,” insisting that the moment was just as wild as it sounds.
Josh Brolin explained that his mom then pointed toward a truck, where a sliding door had been opened, and told the gorilla (via Jimmy Kimmel Live!)
You get in there right now… The gorilla went from being aggressive to like watching her in a totally confused way and all that
And somehow, astonishingly, he listened. The animal that frightened trained handlers followed her command like a sulking teenager being sent to his room. Brolin then described his mother as a “severe woman,” and this incident sits high on the list of examples to prove his point. In his memoir From Under the Truck, he even wrote about her intensity, her power, and her unwavering sense of authority, especially when it came to animals.
Josh Brolin Shares Childhood Memories About Growing up Around Wild and Dangerous Animals
Growing up on the Brolin family’s 230-acre ranch in Paso Robles was less childhood and more wilderness boot camp. Jane Cameron Agee operated what she called a “wildlife way station,” caring for rescued and illegally owned wild animals. Wolves, cougars, anything unpredictable and toothy — they all lived on the property like extended family members.
Alongside running the ranch, Agee worked as a Hollywood casting director, which is how she first met James Brolin. Their marriage eventually ended in 1984, when Brolin was sixteen, and Agee later died in a car crash in 1995 at the age of 55. Her absence didn’t dull her influence. Over the years, Josh has kept mementos like her ceramics collection, small pieces of her that still feel loud and alive.
Living with the wolves, though, left some of the most vivid memories. Brolin once admitted that he sometimes woke up with “holes” in his face because of the wolves. When his father once suggested shooting the wolf, Agee didn’t hesitate. She responded to this offer by saying (via Instagram),
“If you shoot the wolf, I am gonna shoot you.”
A post shared by Life Stories by Goalcast (@life.stories.goalcast)
It was sharp, shocking, and wildly in character — she trusted animals to be animals, even when they left dents in her son. Josh Brolin has said before that his mother “didn’t deal with people well.” He said (via USA Today),
My mom was a good mom, but my mom didn’t deal with people well. She dealt with animals.
It wasn’t a dismissal. It was the most accurate way to describe a woman who found comfort where others found danger. That’s why Josh Brolin could play Thanos with conviction, because he understood how power worked.
Don’t you think Brolin’s mother’s life would make a crazy action movie? Tell us your thoughts on this in the comments.
