Bradley Cooper has a candid response to the backlash he faced from his peers for past Oscar nominations, including those for A Star Is Born and Silver Linings Playbook. Cooper is best known for his roles in American Sniper, The Hangover, and most recently Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley. The actor has now been nominated for nine Oscars throughout the course of his career, three of which were for A Star Is Born, a film that he directed, produced and starred in alongside Lady Gaga. The film was nominated for Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards.
While A Star Is Born represents the most-nominated film of Cooper's career thus far, the star's first-ever Oscar nomination came in 2013 for his role as Pat in Silver Linings Playbook opposite Jennifer Lawrence. Cooper would continue to earn nominations in subsequent years, including Best Supporting Actor for American Hustle, Best Picture and Best Actor for American Sniper, Best Picture for Joker, a film that he produced, and Best Picture for Nightmare Alley. Cooper is currently filming his next project, Maestro, a biopic about the life of composer Leonard Bernstein, for which he serves as director, co-writer, producer, and star.
On a new episode of Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett's Smartless podcast (via IndieWire) Cooper reflected on the backlash he received from fellow actors and directors in Hollywood regarding his various Oscar nominations. The star recalled one particular instance in which an unnamed famous director and actress approached him at a party, with the director apparently remarking, "What world are we living in where you have seven nominations and she's only got three?" Cooper didn't take kindly to the slight and still remembers it clearly today. See Cooper's candid response below:
"I’m like, ‘Bro, why are you such an asshole.’ I would never f**king forget that. Go f**k yourself.”
Cooper's story reaffirms that, for many, there is a strong undercurrent of controversy and competition when it comes to the Academy Awards and who is nominated. The above-described incident isn't even the first instance of Hollywood snarkiness that Cooper experienced regarding the Oscars, either. The actor described another run-in with an unnamed actress in which she stressed that he deserved the nomination for Silver Linings Playbook, but not the win. Cooper's response is similarly candid regarding this incident, with the actor saying, "I remember [thinking], what the f**k is this town?’ Can you imagine saying that to somebody? You’ve got to be f**ked up to do that.”
While Cooper doesn't reveal who any of the individuals are in either of these instances, he does clearly identify them as well-known members of Hollywood. It's not clear why some have deemed Cooper unworthy of the awards recognition he's received throughout his career, but the star is already generating Oscars buzz for Maestro. In addition to his work behind the camera on the upcoming film, Cooper has also radically transformed his appearance, something that the Oscars has traditionally rewarded, and which could potentially earn him his first win.
Source: Smartless podcast (via IndieWire)