Bradley Cooper says sobriety made it “easier” to play an alcoholic in ‘A Star Is Born’
Actor Bradley Cooper has said that being sober made it “easier” to play the recovering addict Jackson Maine in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born.
Notably, the 2018 romantic drama was produced and directed by Cooper, who stars as Maine, the alcoholic country musician who discovers and falls in love with Ally, a talented young singer working as a waitress. Lady Gaga played Cooper’s opposite number.
In a new interview with adventurer Bear Grylls on his show Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge, Cooper reflected on being sober for nearly 20 years and how this allowed him to “really enter” the role of Maine.
Asked by the host if he had any “wild years” early on in his career, Cooper replied: “In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah, but nothing to do with fame, though.”
He continued: “But I was lucky. I got sober at 29 years old, and I’ve been sober for 19 years. Very lucky.”
Regarding the role of Maine, Cooper expressed that his sobriety “made it easier to be able to really enter in there. And thank goodness I was at a place in my life where I was at ease with all of that so I could really let myself go”.
He added: “I’ve been very lucky with the roles I’ve had to play. It’s been a real blessing. I hope I get to keep doing it.”
In other Bradley Cooper news, the actor has been embroiled in a ‘Jewface’ controversy for wearing a prosthetic nose in his portrayal of the late composer Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming Netflix movie, Maestro, which he directed. The backlash from elements of the Jewish community came after the trailer was released for the film on August 14th.