Josh Brolin has revealed that he ‘almost got into a fight’ with Denzel Washington on the set of their 2007 movie American Gangster.

The acclaimed crime drama was directed by Ridley Scott, who has reunited with Denzel on their buzzy new movie Gladiator II.

American Gangster was a fictionalized retelling of the rise and fall of mobster Frank Lucas, who was active in the 1960s and 1970s.

Denzel played the main character and Josh portrayed a corrupt detective on the take from him, amid a star-studded cast including Russell Crowe and Ruby Dee.

Now Josh, 56, has shared that the blistering conflicts that unfolded onscreen were the result of a shoot that included its share of real life drama.

He explained that he and Denzel ‘get along very well now,’ but told the story of the remark that nearly brought them to blows to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.

Josh Brolin has revealed that he ‘almost got into a fight’ with Denzel Washington on the set of their 2007 movie American Gangster, in which they are pictured

‘Denzel was a little late to set and there was a whole thing there. And then he showed me the lines – he didn’t change any of my lines, but he kind of changed the structure of it,’ said the No Country For Old Men heartthrob.

‘He said: “I think I’m gonna put this down here and I’m gonna put that up there.” But he wouldn’t really look at me,’ Josh continued.

Josh found himself ‘trying to remember the structure, and then we rehearsed,’ he said, noting: ‘It wasn’t that many lines, mostly mine.’

He recalled: ‘And I’m supposed to be super confident. It’s Denzel Washington, man. It’s not easy. You’re just this actor who they’re trying out, seeing if he’s the real thing or not. And I forgot a line.’

Josh remembered that he ‘put my hand on his shoulder and I said: “What’s the line?” and he hit my hand off and he said: “Don’t ever f***ing put your hand on me.”

Faced with Denzel’s hostility, Josh thought to himself: ‘Holy s***, I’m gonna scrap with Denzel Washington. This is crazy.’

At that point, Josh experienced the sensation that he and Denzel were ‘not actors anymore, at least in my mind. In his mind, he was just doing his job.’

He eventually understood that the real situation was just the opposite – Denzel’s prickliness was the result of his being in character.

Now Josh, 56, has shared that the blistering conflicts that unfolded onscreen were the result of a shoot that included its share of real life drama

The acclaimed crime drama was directed by Ridley Scott, who has reunited with Denzel on their buzzy new movie Gladiator II, which Denzel is pictured promoting this week

Read More Inside the new home Lizzo snapped up from Jeremy Renner for $12.4 million

‘He was that guy. He was Frank Lucas, period. But I didn’t know. And then we got through that moment,’ the Dune actor explained.

‘I said: “Are you OK?” He said: “Yeah. You?” I said: “Yeah. Can I get my line?” He said: “Go for it.” It’s like he’d said what he needed to say.’

Josh is promoting his new memoir From Under The Truck, telling the stories of his own career as well as his Hollywood childhood as the son of actor James Brolin.

He also shared candid stories of his drinking problem, which culminated in his decision to give up alcohol altogether in 2013.

Josh shared that on one occasion he requested a glᴀss of wine, only to be admonished for doing so by his stepmother Barbra Streisand.

‘She’s like, “Why would you drink? You’re an alcoholic,”‘ Josh said on The Howard Stern Show. ‘She was this kind of, like, typical Jewish mother who was like: “You can’t do that because that would hurt you. You know, you gotta eat. You look too skinny.”‘

In his memoir, he divulged that he decided to quit drinking when he got into a fight in a drive-thru in Santa Monica and then woke up in the street.