Bradley Cooper is feeling “very lucky” that he managed to overcome addictions that nearly claimed his life decades ago.
The Oscar nominee, 48, opened up about his sobriety in a recent episode of National Geographic’s “Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge” as Grylls asked about Cooper’s “wild years.”
“In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah, but nothing to do with fame,” said Cooper, who shares 6-year-old daughter Lea with ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk.
“But I was lucky. I got sober at 29 years old, and I’ve been sober for 19 years. Very lucky.”
“The Hangover” star, who recently sparked backlash over his prosthetic nose in the upcoming Netflix film “Maestro,” battled a heavy drug and alcohol addiction in the early 2000s which he openly admits hindered his work.
Cooper previously shared how his addiction took a turn for the worse after he was fired from the Jennifer Garner action-thriller series “Alias.”
And he said he nearly suffered a similar relapse in 2011 after his father died following a cancer battle.
“I definitely had a nihilistic attitude towards life after, just like I thought ‘I’m going to die,’” he told Grylls. “I don’t know, it wasn’t great for a little bit until I thought I have to embrace who I actually am and try to find a peace with that, and then it sort of evened out.”
And while addiction may have hindered his work in the past, Cooper said his knowledge ultimately helped him execute his role of an addict in “A Star Is Born.”
“It made it easier to be able to really enter in there,” Cooper said about his Oscar-nominated performance in the 2018 film opposite Lady Gaga.
“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,” he added.
Cooper has been open in the past about his struggles with addiction, telling GQ in 2013 that his substance abuse was going to “sabotage [his] whole life” if he did not get help.
“I think work was getting f–ked up. The one thing that I’ve learned in life is the best thing I can do is embrace who I am and then do that to the fullest extent, and then whatever happens, happens,” he said at the time.
“The more steps I do to not do that, the farther I am away from fulfilling any potential I would have.”
In other news – LeBron James attends Dodgers Game with son Bronny after his cardiac arrest
LeBron James enjoyed a family sports day on Saturday at Dodger Stadium with his sons. The Lakers superstar headed out to the game for the second game in a doubleheader between the Dodgers and the Marlins, where he was joined by his wife, Savannah, and kids Bronny, Brice and Zhuri.
The family outing comes just a month after Bronny, 18, was discharged from the hospital following a frightening incident in which he suffered cardiac arrest while practicing with the University of Southern California Trojans basketball team. Read More
