Josh Brolin Says He’s Starring With Jessica Chastain In A Movie About George Jones & Tammy Wynette
There has been no shortage of country music biopics, with Loretta Lynn (“Coal Miner’s Daughter“), Patsy Cline (“Sweet Dreams“), Hank Williams (“Your Cheatin’ Heart,” the upcoming “I Saw The Light“), and Johnny Cash (“Walk The Line“) among those getting the big screen treatment. And another project is brewing that could bring two more legends to the multiplex.
On a recent stop on “Conan,” Josh Brolin revealed that he’ll star in a movie with Jessica Chastain about George Jones and Tammy Wynette. “I have a bit of a past and when they were trying to figure out who might be best able to best play George Jones, they thought, ‘What about Brolin? Who’s been to jail in the last 10 years? Let’s pick Brolin!’” the actor quipped.
“I’m gonna do that with Jessica Chastain, who is gonna play Tammy Wynette. She’s amazing… It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” he added (note, he mentioned the project in passing last year, but no one seemed to notice).
The country duo scored plenty of hits, pairing up on songs like “We’re Gonna Hold On,” “Let’s Build A World Together,” “Golden Ring,” “Near You,” and “(We’re Not) The Jet Set.” Their marriage, his third at the time, was rocky at best, with Jones deeply addicted to alcohol and drugs. Even so, they were seen as “Mr & Mrs. Country Music,” and even after they divorced, they continued to perform together. Basically, it sounds like the kind of relationship could set off some serious acting fireworks.
For Brolin’s part, he already is aware of some of Jones’ quirks. “He talked like a duck for three years. He refused to speak in anything but duck voice for three years. The only time he came out of duck voice was to do another number one hit for that year, so whenever he would sing it would be a number one hit and then he’d go and have a drink and speak in duck voice,” he said. “They thought it was a joke, but a joke lasts for what, five, maybe 10 minutes…?”
Brolin has been talking about this project for a little while, but there doesn’t seem to be official word yet. Still, it’s promising, and something I’d definitely love to see happen. Watch the “Conan” episode here — Brolin talks about the George and Tammy project at the 23-minute mark.
