In a revelation that might surprise Marvel fans, Josh Brolin—the man behind the iconic role of Thanos—says he made more money trading stocks than acting. During a candid interview with journalist Guy Raz, Brolin discussed how a stalled acting career led him to the stock market, and how discipline—not luck—turned investing into his most profitable venture.
“I had children going to school and I just wasn’t making money, man,” Brolin admitted. “If you’re lucky enough to make 100,000 a year, which I wasn’t, then you’re clearing 30,000 after taxes and commissions.” Faced with mounting responsibilities and limited acting income, Brolin turned to stocks to make ends meet.
His gateway into investing came through entrepreneur Brett Markinson, who introduced him to the technical side of the markets. That early mentorship opened the floodgates. “I just started asking him everything,” Brolin said, recalling how his curiosity drove him to learn the ins and outs of trading.
Ironically, it was Brolin’s role in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps that connected him with actual financiers and billionaires. From there, he soaked up conversations about discipline, market psychology, and risk management—key lessons that later paid off.
“I made more money than I had ever made acting for sure,” Brolin revealed. “It wasn’t just because I got lucky with one stock that went to the roof. I was very disciplined in the breaths of upward momentum.” He explained his method: buy when prices fall, sell when they climb—an old-school strategy that required focus and emotional control.
Brolin eventually shifted from day trading to long-term investing. “If you do that, you have to be up at 4:30 every morning and know your basket,” he said. “It’s a full-time job.” While he no longer watches the markets minute-to-minute, he still applies the same level of scrutiny and discipline to his portfolio today.
He may have played a galactic warlord obsessed with balance, but in real life, Brolin was simply trying to balance family, finances, and survival. “I knew I could figure financials out,” he said. “I didn’t do TV for 20 years, so again, for somebody who needs to provide for their family, there was still some version of integrity.”
Turns out, even Thanos had a backup plan—and it involved candlesticks, not infinity stones.
Traders in the house, what do you think about this? Does Thanos have better odds against the Avengers than in the Stocks Market? Let's have it.