VIDEO: Josh Brolin Talks 'Avengers,' His Upbringing, and How 'The Goonies' Saved His Life

Near the end of “Avengers: Infinity War,” Josh Brolin’s purple-skinned villain Thanos snaps his fingers and all his troubles — not to mention half the universe’s population — instantly disappear. In real life, the actor has devoted considerably more time and energy to finding peace of mind.

When TV star James Brolin and assistant casting director Jane Cameron Agee met in 1966 on the set of “Batman,” they were quickly caught up in a whirlwind of romance and wed just a couple weeks later. When their eldest son Josh was born in 1968, the whirlwind was well on its way to becoming a tornado. During his Stern Show debut on Monday morning, the Oscar-nominated movie star had plenty to say about his wild and sometimes destructive upbringing, which involved drinking with his mother at a young age, dabbling in hard drugs and juvenile delinquency with a group of hard-partying surfers, and living on a ranch where he and his brother were frequently chased by wolves … that their own mother sicced on them.

“It’s crazy,” Josh told Howard of his childhood, which he details at length in the eye-opening new memoir “From Under the Truck.”

His mother Jane, who died tragically in a car accident in 1995, may have been an atypical mom, but to Josh’s mind she’s a big part of the reason the “Dune” and “Sicario” star has found so much success. “I look back and I go, ‘Thank god for my mother, and [for] that level of octane and her gasoline that she obviously gave to me, because I appreciate the motor with which she ran,’” Brolin said.

In a way, Brolin wonders if those experiences with his mother shaped the parent he is today. “My daughter’s coming down today from Upstate New York, I’m super close with my son, I think I’m a good parent to my younger kids — did that come out of that?” he told Howard.

Speaking of parents, Brolin credits his stepmother — actress, director, and recording artist Barbra Streisand — with giving him the tough love he sometimes needs.

“I appreciate her a lot,” Josh said of Barbra, adding, “We argued for years because she was very straightforward and probably reminded me, in some ways, of a much more healthy version of my mother.”

Howard and his guest spoke for hours and covered a variety of topics from how landing a role in the 1985 film “The Goonies” may have saved his life to why he didn’t mind losing out on an Oscar to Heath Ledger. Josh also opened up about his famous father, James, going so far as to share a text the “Amityville Horror” actor sent him while reading Josh’s deeply personal tell-all. Check out more clips from the interview (below).