14 DAY TRIAL // Bradley Cooper didn’t win an Oscar for “American Hustle” and he didn’t get one for “Silver Linings Playbook,” but he’s getting another shot this awards season, thanks to his upcoming film, the Clint Eastwood-directed “American Sniper.”
The film opens in select theaters this December and wide in January, and to promote it, Cooper just landed the cover of the latest issue of Vanity Fair. The cover is a tribute to a classic Sean Connery shot, but it comes across as a bit off, probably because of the ridiculous amount of Photoshop in it.
In the accompanying interview, the actor talks about gaining muscle mass for the role and how conflicted he was about the project because he didn’t want to take supplements to bulk up. Bradley Cooper is an addict.
Can I do this in three months naturally?
Bradley Cooper is heavier in “American Sniper” by 40 pounds (18.1 kg), most of which is muscle. He’s always been in top shape (remember that shirtless scene of him in “The A Team” and how it went viral because no one expected him to look that good?), but for this particular role, he had to go out of his way – by a lot.
Cooper plays real-life Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, dubbed the deadliest sniper in US history, so yes, the pressure was huge on him to look a certain way precisely because he was playing such an instantly recognizable figure.
Cooper has been sober for 10 years and in no way did he want to risk that by taking supplements to aid him in gaining that weight. At the end of the day, he had to decide if he could do this the natural way or if he’d back out of the project altogether.
We all know how that dilemma was settled.
“I had a realistic conversation. Can I do this in three months naturally? Can I gain 30 pounds of [expletive]-ing muscle? I didn't know if I would be able to do it or not. Thank God — luckily — my [expletive]-ing body reacted fast,” he tells Vanity Fair.
“American Sniper” turned out to be a dream collaboration
Clint Eastwood isn’t the most friendly director out there, but he gets the job done, for which reason all the actors who have worked with him have nothing but respect for him. Bradley Cooper says the same: he tells the magazine that he always dreamed of “being in the trenches” with a director, which turned out to be the case with “American Sniper.”
Shooting this movie felt right on so many accounts that whatever sacrifices he made to prepare for the part and during the actual production felt worth it in the end.
As far as preparations go, they implied a strict 8,000-calorie diet, training with a vocal coach, a personal trainer and a real-life Navy SEAL to get Kyle’s mannerisms and skills just about right for the camera. By the time the film wrapped, Cooper had actually gotten quite good with his aim and could have passed for a decent sniper, his SEAL trainer revealed some time ago.
Pre-release buzz claims that Cooper’s efforts will not have been in vain, because the movie will probably be both a commercial and critical hit. More importantly, it might just bring him that much coveted Oscar at last.
