June 21, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Bradley Cooper – Words About His Film ‘The Words’:

Bradley Cooper’s professional career was launched playing opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the television series “Sex and the City,” but his breakout role was in the highly successful “The Hangover” that catapulted him into one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors. He reprieved his character of Phil in “The Hangover Part II” and is currently filming “The Hangover Part III. He also had a co-starring role in “The A-Team,” and recently co-starred with Robert De Niro in David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook.” Voted the “Sexiest Man Alive 2011” by PEOPLE, Cooper recently participated in a press conference to promote his latest film, “The Words,” a story about a writer who steals another man’s manuscript and pushes it off as his own. The film co-stars Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Zoe Saldana, and Ron Rifkin.

The following has been edited for content and continuity for print purposes.

You seem like a really nice guy. How did you go about developing the slime bag side of your character Rory Jansen?

Cooper: Maybe I failed you because I don’t see Rory as a slime bag at all. I see him grappling with what it is to be a man and I think his Achilles Heel is impatience. The thing that I really liked about the script, and the hook for me, was the fact that he is actually a good writer. He’s not a poor writer looking for any way to get success. He’s a writer that has talent, but he’s preoccupied with living up to some idea of what he thinks he should be, and that’s his fatal flaw. I don’t think that makes him a slime bag.

You’re such a regular guy, so were you nervous about working with the most elegant Jeremy Irons?

Cooper: My excitement of working with him superseded any nervousness. I don’t know if you’ve met him or not, but he’s a very welcoming individual and like a lot of great actors, he makes you feel comfortable. The same can be said about Robert De Niro and Liam Neeson. All of these icons that I’ve worked with had one thread in common, and that’s normalcy. These are very normal guys. I mean as normal as very awesome looking men with voices like God, could be (laughter). These two guys had never directed a movie before (Writers/Directors Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal) and Jeremy Irons shows up and he makes everybody feel completely at ease. I mean he could have just come in like a wrecking crew and destroyed everything, but he didn’t. It was quite the opposite. We had to do it in 25 days and he had tons of dialogue. It’s not like it was ‘let’s talk about the scene and let me take my time and figure out where I want to sit on the bench.’ It was like we have to do this now and boom, we’d shoot the scene and he was game. Everybody was game, which is why the movie worked.

This is a very different kind of role. Did you find it challenging?

Cooper: I was very scared that I was going to fail these two guys (referring to Klugman and Sternthal). When they asked me to do the role, I said yes. It was a week before shooting and I was reading the script one last time. They knew I was worried and I called them and they helped me sort of get the hook. I loved the fact that he was a good writer; otherwise he would be delusional, but the fact was he was just impatient. That’s what I liked about the script. It’s so complicated. It’s not like he set out to plagiarize at all. The only reason why he downloads the script as written was he wanted to feel what it was like washing over his fingers and it’s not until his wife (Zoe Saldana) looks at him the way he wants her to look at him for the first time that he’s seduced by that. He’s not man enough to say that’s not me. And then his publisher, (Ron Rifkin) when he does come clean, which is a wonderful aspect of the script, says keep lying. He doesn’t say you’re right, you have to take your name off the book and we’ll suffer the economic consequences. He actually says no motherf….., you have to deal with it and she (his wife) has to deal with it too. Then when he goes to the old man (Jeremy Irons) and wants to give him the money back, he says no, keep doing it. So it much more complicated than just a plagiarist who wants success. His goal is not to be a famous writer. His goal is to meet the expectations he has of himself.

I’d like to go off topic for a moment and ask you what are the pros and cons of being voted the Sexiest Man in America?

Cooper: Oh me too. I want to talk about that (laughter). Could we dim the lights? (laughter) What the question again? (laughter)

The pros and cons of being voted the Sexiest Man in America – now don’t blush.

Cooper: It was very shocking and I think someone made a mistake, but, yeah, it’s very nice and fun.

Is there a downside and what did your family say?

Cooper: There is no downside and my family was thrilled.

Do you try to capitalize on that?

Cooper: I try to. I start every conversation with, ‘You do know…” (laughter). I started a web site and have a blog too and a weekend retreat next Sunday and if you want to come, just leave your address (laughter).

Are you excited about “The Hangover Part III?”

Cooper: Yes. We have great actors coming aboard this third one. I love Phil. I love my character.

Going back to the beginning of your career, did you audition a lot before you landed a role on “Sex in the City?”

Cooper: I was working the graveyard shift at the Morgans Hotel on 38th and Madison Avenue (New York City). You guys need a taxi? (laughter). I still got it! (laughter). Anyway, I was doing one audition after another and I auditioned so much that I didn’t believe you could actually book a job (laughter). If I got a couple of callbacks, that was a very successful week, but I always had another job. With “Sex in the City,” I was actually very frightened because I didn’t know if I could do the job. I didn’t really understand the concept of actually booking a job. So for me rejection was normal and getting it (the part) was odd (laughter).

Do you feel pressure about what you are going to do next?

Cooper: Honestly, I don’t really look at it that way. My goal is to grow as an actor and that’s what I look for in a script.

in News
<>Related Posts

All Aboard to LAX: Metro Opens Game-Changing Transit Hub Ahead of Global Events

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

 New LAX/Metro Transit Center Comes Closer to Connecting Metro Directly to LAX The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)...

New Leadership at Samohi: Jane Han Named House Principal

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Equity-Focused Educator Joins Samohi Leadership Team By Diana Bouchaaya, SMMUSD Communications Specialist The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board...

Food Fight on the Venice Boardwalk: Chefs Stand Up for Immigrants with Food

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Turk’s Pizza Party Rallies Top Local Eateries for an Immigrant Rights Fundraiser In a bold display of culinary activism, Turk’s...

Weekend Lane Closures on PCH in Malibu Could Snarl Summer Beach Traffic

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Army Corps Work Triggers Weekend Closure on Pacific Coast Highway Motorists traveling along Pacific Coast Highway this weekend should prepare...

SMC Gallery to Showcase Faculty Art in Virtual Exhibition

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

The online event will feature works by seven Emeritus faculty artists. The Santa Monica College Emeritus Art Gallery will host...

(Video) Where great minds grow at The Willows Community School

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

The Willows, a DK-8 co-educational school, enrolls 474 students from 57+ zip codes annually. As a balanced, progressive educational leader, experiential learning,...

Film Review: The Life of Chuck

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

FILM REVIEWTHE LIFE OF CHUCKRated R110 MinutesReleased June 6th A  heartfelt movie of lie, love, friendship and loss, delivered in...

THIS WEEKEND: Five Outdoor Concerts for Make Music Day Comes to Santa Monica

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

The global event, inspired by France’s Fête de la Musique, unites communities through music and is observed in over 800...

(Video) The Guest List Collab Dinner with Chef Raphael Lunetta and Chef Alan Wong

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Held at Marelle Restaurant at The Sandbourne Hotel in Santa Monica. An Incredible mix of Hawaiian and Santa Monica’s flavors...

Jeni’s Drops Goose-Inspired Ice Cream Flavor to Kick Off Summer of Sweetness

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

Goose Tracks Is a Nod to the Jam-Band’s Live Magic + Super Fun Times Flavors Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is...

Santa Monica’s ‘Summer Soulstice’ Festival Returns with Music, Classic Cars, and Family Fun

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

The event, featuring music, a PRIDE-themed bingo, a car show and a beer garden, spans Main Street from Strand Street...

(Video) A Plus Tree: A Steward of Urban Forest Management Across Los Angeles

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

For More Information, Go to Aplustree.com For More Information, Go to https://t.co/oL7U8M4k7B pic.twitter.com/fCAYMCsLXU — Santa Monica Mirror (@SMMirror) June 19,...

(Video) See Inside Voodoo Doughnuts’ New Venice Beach Shop

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

The Creative Portland Franchise Has Opened Up at Windward Circle The Creative Portland Franchise Has Opened Up at Windward Circle....

Justice Served by the Slice: L.A. Chefs Rally for Pies for Justice Fundraiser

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

Sweet, Savory, and Pizza Pies to Support Foster Youth and Civil Rights Chefs and restaurants from across Los Angeles and...

What to Expect at This Weekend’s ‘Venice Summer Fest’ in Mar Vista

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025

Attendees Can Expect More Than Two Dozen Bands, a Classic Car Show, Food Trucks, Vendors and More The Venice Summer...