Bradley Cooper talks about why he loves working with Robert de Niro, and his friendship with Jennifer Lawrence
The actor blames The Hangover for turning him into a sex symbol, but says he wants to be judged on his body of work and not his physical appearance
Actor and filmmaker Bradley Cooper, who turns 45 on January 5, talks about handling paparazzi, and working with one of his idols, the legendary Robert De Niro.
He prefers the paparazzi to photo shoots
Coping [with paparazzi] feels like way too strong a word, like coping with a disease or something. I like people. I don’t mind doing press junkets. In fact, if I love the movie, I can talk about it forever. The only thing I hate are photo shoots. I don’t know why but I just can’t stand them. I’ve got used to the paparazzi. You have to almost invite them into the process of how you live your life. I got used to them very quickly. The only problem is when it bothers people in your life. Like my mom, she didn’t ask for it, and that bothers me. When she’s bothered by them, it upsets me – which is the worst thing you could do because if you show any sign of aggression, they’re gonna be all over [it].
He loves working with Robert De Niro
[It feels] completely surreal. I see him as a man now, that myth is utterly broken, he is my friend – which is, in itself, a very surreal occurrence. I remember he came to my graduate school and I asked him a question and it was the most nerve-racking experience of my life. It was like a beam of light shot through my stomach when he looked at me, and I used that as fuel for years when I would put myself on the line for something. When I get rejected or turned down over and over, I’d think about the reception I got from Robert De Niro that day and keep going.
He has fond memories of when he was a ‘nobody’