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Bradley Cooper has said that being sober made it “easier” to play the role of a recovering addict in A Star Is Born.
The 2018 film stars Cooper as boozing country singer Jackson Maine who falls in love with Ally, a talented young waitress-cum-singer (Lady Gaga).
In a new interview with Bear Grylls on the latter’s TV programme Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge, Cooper discussed his two-decade sobriety and how it helped him “really get in” to the role as Maine.
Asked whether he had any “wild years” early in his acting days, Cooper said: “In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah, but nothing to do with fame though.
“But I was lucky. I got sober at 29 years old and I’ve been sober for 19 years. Very lucky.”
Of that film role in particular, Cooper added that 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.
“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.”
Last year, Cooper spoke out about his past struggles with drug and alcohol addiction for the first time.
While featuring on the Smartless podcast – hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett – Cooper opened up about the difficult time in his life, before finding fame in 2009’s The Hangover.
The actor recalled a time in 2004, when Arnett stopped by his home late in the afternoon and noticed that Cooper hadn’t yet let his dogs outside to relieve themselves.
“That was the first time I ever realised I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. It was Will saying that to me, I’ll never forget it… It changed my entire life."
Cooper went on to say that he had “zero self-esteem” at the time. “I was so lost. And I was addicted to cocaine, that was the other thing… I severed my Achilles tendon right after I got fired-slash-quit Alias,” he said.
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