Bradley Cooper Opens Up About His Sobriety: 'I Was Lucky'

Bradley Cooper is getting candid about his sobriety. The 48-year-old actor appeared in a recent episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge and addressed his nearly two-decade journey of being sober. 

Cooper was asked at one point whether he had experienced "wild years" in the early days of his fame. 

"The Hangover was pretty career changing," he answered Grylls. "I was 36 when that happened so I was already in the game for 10 years just banging around, so I didn’t get lost in fame. 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. I've been very lucky." 

Cooper went on to share how his past experience with addiction helped to shape his performance as rocker Jackson Maine in A Star Is Born. 

"It made it easier to be able to really enter in there," he said.

"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," Cooper 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."

Cooper also issued a rare comment on his own experience with fatherhood, relaying how the death of his own father, Charles, affected his parenting style and approach to life. The star shares daughter Lea De Seine with model Irina Shayk. 

"I mean, you learn from your predecessor’s mistakes and I’ll make tons that hopefully Lea will learn from and then being rigorous with myself to grow," he said. "To help unburden her with any of my bulls**t."

"That’s one of the best things you can do for Lea, isn’t it?" Grylls asked.

"And for me," the actor responded, adding, "It’s for me too. It just makes life much better."

Since welcoming their child, both Shayk and Cooper have kept Lea largely out of the spotlight. After four years, the duo called it quits in 2019 but remain close friends and co-parents. In recent weeks, romance rumors have swirled around Shayk as she's been linked to Tom Brady. 

For his part, Cooper is gearing up for the release of his new film, Maestro, about the life and loves of legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Following the release of a teaser trailer for the project, controversy has picked up surrounding Cooper's use of a prosthetic nose in his portrayal. 

Bernstein's three children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein, released a statement on social media just last week in defense of the film, which Cooper also co-wrote and directed, with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg producing.

"At all times during the making of this film, we could feel the profound respect and yes, the love that Bradley brought to his portrait of Leonard Bernstein and his wife, our mother Felicia," they wrote in part. "We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can't wait for the world to see his creation."

Maestro is set to premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival before its limited theatrical release in select theaters on Nov. 22 and its Netflix premiere on Dec. 20.

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