Bradley Cooper has revealed he was “so lost” while struggling with drug and alcohol addiction in the early 00s.
The Hollywood star said he was also “totally depressed” at the time, which came before he’d made “major breakthroughs” in his career.
The A Star Is Born actor spoke to Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on the Smartless podcast, explaining he turned to alcohol and drugs after he severed his achilles tendon and “got fired slash quit” from American action series Alias.
“I was so lost and I was addicted to cocaine, that was the other thing,” Bradley said.
Bradley explained that Will who was then married to Bradley’s friend and Wet Hot American Summer co-star Amy Poehler, helped him realise he was suffering from addiction issues after the pair attended a party together.
Arrested Development actor Will was unimpressed by Bradley’s attempts at “mean humour” and said he was acting like a “real asshole” during the evening.
Bradley added: “That was the first time I realised I had a problem with drugs and alcohol and it was Will saying that to me, and I’ll just never forget it”.
He said he is thankful he experienced the issues while he was young and before the peak of his fame.
“I will say this: I did have the benefit of that happening when I was 29,” he said.
“So at 29, it wasn’t really until [The] Hangover – I was 36 when I did The Hangover – so I got to go through all of those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level.”
Speaking about overcoming his addiction issues and developing his career, Bradley said: “Still working on self-esteem up until a year ago, still do, but I definitely made major breakthroughs from 29 to 34, where at least I was able to stand in front of somebody and breath and listen and talk.”
He also cited the birth of his daughter in 2017 as a pivotal moment in his life, saying: “Fatherhood is, I mean everything changed… everything is brought out in glorious colours by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being.
“It’s just the absolute greatest thing.”
Bradley shares custody of daughter Lea with ex-partner Irina Shayk, who he split from in 2019.
The Smartless podcast is available to stream now.
Help and support:
- Contact FRANK on 0300 123 6600 or visit the website for alternative contact methods.