“It made us actors step forward to get it right,” he says.īrolin already had some experience with firefighting.

Brolin feels that in this case it was important because Steinbrink and former Granite Mountain Hotshots were involved in the training. The actor performs a song as Steinbrink in the film.Īs is customary in action films like this, “Only the Brave” had a two-week boot camp - this one in the mountains outside Santa Fe, N.M. - so the actors could train for their roles.

Bridges has been a longtime musician and songwriter, even winning his Oscar in “Crazy Heart” playing a country singer. Steinbrink has a cowboy band called The Rusty Pistols. “With Jeff, it’s always about music,” Brolin says with a laugh. I’ll give it 110 percent and I hope at the end of the day you feel that I’ve represented your son well.”Įventually, Steinbrink came around to support the film.īridges and Steinbrink connected over music. The actor says he told Marsh’s parents that “No matter what I do it will never be right, but I will represent him in the best way I can. The Granite Mountain Hotshots save an ancient tree in “Only the Brave.” “When I met Eric’s parents, the first thing his mother said to me was, ‘Eric was a lot taller than you.’ So it’s tough,” says Brolin. Both Bridges and Brolin have played real-life people before and know as an actor you can’t completely transform into the person you’re playing.

Only the brave cast members