“I got sober at 29”: Marvel Star Bradley Cooper Feels Lucky to Have Got Over His Crippling Addiction Like Co-Star Robert Downey Jr. Before Killing His Own Career
Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper has acted in many great movies over the years. He recently made headlines due to the use of a prosthetic nose in the upcoming movie Maestro. The American actor has been successfully sober for years now but there was a dark period in his life when he was addicted to drugs and alcohol.
In a recent episode of National Geographic’s Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge, Bradley Cooper opened up about his battle with addiction. He considers himself lucky that he could get out of the strong clutches of his addiction that could not have only destroyed his career but also would have taken his life decades ago.
Bradley Cooper Addressed His Battle with Addiction
There are quite a few instances where it has been seen that Hollywood actors nearly annihilated their careers due to addiction. One of these was the popular actor Robert Downey Jr. whose post-addiction breakthrough role was Iron Man. Bradley Cooper who played the character of Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy and other Marvel movies, also had a similar battle with addiction in the early 2000s.
While recently talking with Bear Grylls, Cooper said that his “wild years” had nothing to do with his fame, rather it was due to his addiction. He further added: “But I was lucky. I got sober at 29 years old, and I’ve been sober for 19 years. Very lucky.”
The American Sniper actor understood the seriousness of his situation when he was fired from the movie Alias starring Jennifer Garner. He also said that his knowledge about addiction helped him with to prepare for his character as an addict in the Lady Gaga starrer A Star is Born.
Bradley Cooper Had a Relapse Years Ago
Bradley Cooper is a household name in the Hollywood entertainment industry. He has a huge fan following on social media and otherwise so him speaking openly about the time in his life that was tarnished by addiction is a big deal. While talking to Bear Grylls about his “wild years”, he revealed that he has been sober for 19 years although he did have a similar relapse after his father passed away. Addressing that, he said:
“I definitely had a nihilistic attitude towards life after, just like I thought ‘I’m going to die,’ 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.”
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Passing away of a loved one, especially a parent, is a tragic affair so it is understandable that Cooper felt the need to turn back to drugs or alcohol to deal with the sadness. However, it is also great to know that The Hangover star managed to get over it and has established a name for himself in Hollywood.
Source: Page Six
