Bradley Cooper
He has a sister, Holly. Immediately after Bradley graduated from the Honors English program at Georgetown University in 1997, he moved to New York City to enroll in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the Actors Studio Drama School at New School University.
There, he developed his stage work, culminating with his thesis performance as "John Merrick" in Bernard Pomerance's "The Elephant Man", performed in New York's Circle in the Square. While still in school, Bradley began his professional career, appearing opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in Sexo en Nueva York (1998) and in the series, The Beat (2000). His weekends were spent with LEAP (Learning through the Expanded Arts Program), a non-profit organization that teaches acting and movement to inner city school children. The summers took him all across the globe, from kayaking in British Columbia with Orca Whales to ice-climbing in the Peruvian Andes, while hosting Lonely Planet's Treks in a Wild World (2000) for the Discovery Channel. Bradley had to skip his graduation ceremony from the Actor's Studio in order to star in his first feature film, Wet Hot American Summer(2001). After finishing his second feature, Bending All the Rules (2002), his plans to relocate to Los Angeles were delayed when Darren Star hired him to star in the series The $treet (2000). Bradley went on to win the role of young law student Gordon Pinella in the film Al límite de la verdad (2002), starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, and also played Travis Paterson in La cámara secreta (2002). He finally decided that it was time to forgo his other New York projects and move to Los Angeles when he was cast in Alias(2001).
After supporting roles in De boda en boda (2005), Novia por contrato (2006), The Comebacks (2007), Un rockero de pelotas (2008), and Di que sí (2008), Cooper broke out with major roles in Qué les pasa a los hombres (2009), Resacón en Las Vegas (2009), and Historias de San Valentín (2010). He co-starred in the action film El equipo A (2010) and headlined the thriller Sin límites (2011).
Cooper received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor after starring opposite 'Jennifer Lawrence' in David O. Russell's El lado bueno de las cosas (2012), as Pat Solatano. He then received two more consecutive Oscar nominations, Best Supporting Actor for playing Richie DiMaso in Russell's La gran estafa americana (2013) (again opposite Lawrence, though their characters shared no significant screen time), and Best Actor for playing Chris Kyle in Clint Eastwood's El francotirador (2014), the highest grossing film of 2014. During this time period, Cooper also reprised his role in Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) and The Hangover III (2013)_, turned in another strong dramatic turn in Cruce de caminos (2012), and voiced Rocket Raccoon in the third highest grossing film of 2014, Guardianes de la galaxia (2014).
In 2015, Bradley headlined two comedies, Cameron Crowe's Aloha (2015), set in Hawaii, and John Wells' Burnt (2015), set in London, and will star opposite Jennifer Lawrence again in David O. Russell's Joy (2015). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
Had to miss his graduation commencement to film Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
Considers Daniel Day-Lewis the world's greatest actor.
He attended Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1993.
His father, Charlie Cooper, was of Irish heritage, and worked as a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch. His mother, Gloria Cooper (née Campano), is of Italian heritage, and worked for an NBC station.
Cooper has spent many weekends with the Learning through the Expanded Arts Program (LEAP), which is a non-profit organization that teaches inner-city school children about acting.
Has an older sister.
Speaks French fluently. He even did an interview, promoting Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) entirely in French.
Friend of Dave Bugliari.
Was in a relationship with Renée Zellweger (July 2009-March 2011).
In the Steven Spielberg episode of Inside the Actors Studio (1994), Cooper appears in the audience about 15 minutes into the episode.
Member of the same Los Angeles gym as Ryan Gosling, Jason Sarayba, Jodie Foster, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Ashley Tisdale.
Became close friends with Victor Garber during production on Alias (2001).
While a guest on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (1988) (aka "Live with Regis & Kelly"), Cooper was asked which of the actresses he has costarred with was his favorite on-screen kisser. Instead of an actress, he chose Michael Ian Black, with whom he shared a love scene in Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
His favorite films include Historias de Nueva York (1989)(segment 'Life Lessons'), La conversación (1974), Celebración (1998) and La escafandra y la mariposa (2007).
Drives a 2007 black Prius, and a 2004 G55 AMG Mercedes truck. He also owns a Vespa, which was a gift from Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) director, Todd Phillips.
For six months prior to filming El equipo A (2010) and during the shoot, he cut out sugar, salt, and flour and underwent grueling two-hour workouts with a trainer every day.
Admitted that in the beginning of his career casting agents tended to peg him as just a 'pretty boy', which made finding meaningful roles challenging.
Claimed that watching David Lynch's production of El hombre elefante (1980) on television is what inspired him to be an actor. He later played the title character of John Merrick on stage for his graduate thesis at the Actors Studio, which he attended after graduating from Georgetown in 1997. He also went to London just to research the part, rather obsessively.
Is a teetotaler; he quit drinking at age 29.
Was named "The Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine (November 2011).
He is the first alumnus of The Actor's Studio to be interviewed as a guest on Inside the Actors Studio (1994). Cooper can be seen in the audience on two episodes, one with guest Robert De Niro, and again with Sean Penn. Cooper put himself on tape to audition for a role as De Niro's son in Todos están bien (2009) (with his own mother playing the part of De Niro), but lost out to Sam Rockwell. Cooper eventually starred with De Niro in Sin límites (2011), and again as father and son in El lado bueno de las cosas (2012). The film was released to great critical acclaim, and both actors earned Academy Award nominations for their performances.
Was cast as Lucifer in an adaption of Paradise Lost (directed by Alex Proyas). The movie was canceled 4 months before filming due to budget conflicts.
Has starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence in 4 movies: El lado bueno de las cosas (2012), La gran estafa americana (2013), Serena (2014), and Joy (2015).
Ranked #10 on Empire Online list of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in 2013.
Once had a job that required him to take out a $50,000 life insurance policy.
During an interview on the French TV Show "Le Journal de 19:45", he stated his desire to work with french director Guillaume Canet [February, 2014].
After graduating from Germantown Academy in 1993, he attended Villanova University for his first year, then transferred to Georgetown University, from which he graduated with honors with a BA in English in 1997. Later in 2000, he received an MFA in acting from Actors Studio Drama School at The New School in New York City.
While he was studying at The New School, Cooper worked as a doorman at the Morgans Hotel.
Received his first two Oscar nominations in films directed by David O. Russell and with Jennifer Lawrence as his co-star (El lado bueno de las cosas (2012) and La gran estafa americana (2013)).
Has starred alongside Robert De Niro in 3 movies: Sin límites (2011), El lado bueno de las cosas (2012) and La gran estafa americana (2013). He was an audience member during De Niro's first appearance on the Inside the Actors Studio (1994) in which he asked him about his performance in Despertares (1990).
Grew up in Jenkintown, in Montgomery County, a couple miles out of Philadelphia.
As of 2015, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: El lado bueno de las cosas (2012), La gran estafa americana (2013) and El francotirador(2014). And he also managed to secure Oscar nominations performing in all the three films.
Was considered for the lead role in 'Steve Jobs' (2015).
Can impersonate Robert De Niro Owen Wilson,Christopher Walken, and Bill Clinton after having met them and/or worked with them.
"I was in New York shooting Ley y orden (1990) and the script came along, and I completely connected to it. From the first page, when he says, 'Ever since I was eight years old, I knew what I wanted to be.' When I was eight years old, I wanted to be a chef or an actor. I used to cook all the time. I worked in restaurants the first half of my life." - to The Boston Herald on getting the script for Kitchen Confidential (2005) (11/05)
I had size 12 feet when I was 10, so I thought I was going to be 6' 8". My goal was to be able to dunk a basket. I wound up being 6' 1" with size 14 feet. I got the raw end of the deal.
(2010, on his younger years) I never lived the life of 'Oh, you're so good-looking'. People thought I was a girl when I was little, because I looked like a girl-maybe because my mother would keep my hair really long in a bowl cut. I was in a coffee shop once and the waitress was like, 'What do you want, Miss?' I was 10 or 11-the worst age to have that happen. I had a jean jacket on and a Metallica pin. I thought I was really cool.
[2010, on the incredible shape he got into for El equipo A (2010) ] As the movie progressed, I got in increasingly better shape. There's this one fight scene with Liam Neeson toward the end, where it's, like, the apex of the work. We finished and Joe Carnahan's like, 'Brother, come here, look at this,' and he played it back, and I swear to God, it looked like my head was digitally superimposed onto someone else's body. I was like, 'This cannot be me-that's the way I look?' It was so fucking surreal, 'cause as a kid I only fantasized about looking that way. Remember Soloflex commercials? That was huge when I was a kid. It was like, 'I wanna be the Soloflex guy. Mom, can we get the Soloflex?'
(2010, on having to put himself on tape to send to casting directors when auditioning for roles as an aspiring actor) I'd love not to have to do that (anymore). I did it for this movie about UFC fighters a few years ago, and I didn't know anything about UFC fighters. I wore biking shorts. I was outside in my back yard in Venice, and I was, like, kicking the trash cans and shit. I didn't know what I was doing. I would love to fucking see that tape.
(2011) Todd Phillips gave Vespas to the cast of Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) when we finished shooting. And I thought, a Vespa? What the heck kind of gift is that? I mean, it's nice, but I'll never drive it. But I tell you, I cannot stop riding that Vespa. I dream about it when I'm away. It's gotten to the point where I think I'm screwed: I'm starting to look at motorcycles.
[2009, on his 'nice guy' role in Alias (2001) and how it nearly typecast him] I remember that after I left Alias, people wouldn't even see me. I'd put myself on tape at home for all these roles because they were like, "Oh, no, no. Bradley. He's such a good guy. He can't play that." Then it was David Dobkin, I went in for him on De boda en boda (2005) and he had no idea what 'Alias' was or anything. So he hired me right away and that was the major break. Then after that everyone was like, "Well, isn't he kind of an asshole? I mean, really. I think he's kind of an asshole." Elia Kazan always said that if you're going to play a cowboy you better show up with a horse because no one sees anything but what you bring. It's funny but sometimes people stop me and they're amazed that I'm not a complete asshole. They expect me to be an asshole right away. I gained a lot of weight to do 'Wedding Crashers' too and they're like, "Oh man, I thought you were bigger" because I was 215 lbs for that movie and I'm usually 185 lbs. But to be opposite Vince Vaughn and believe that I could destroy him in a football game...
(2009, on his pets) I have two beautiful dogs that I cherish. Samson is a 14-year-old German short hair pointer and Charlotte is a 6 or 7 year-old Chow Retriever mix. They are both rescue dogs and they are the best ... I'm sort of a hybrid of both my dogs. Samson is stoic and makes me earn it and Charlotte loves me undyingly. They're my kids.
(2009) I seriously love to cook ... My grandmother was an amazing cook. As a kid I used to help her make handmade pasta, cavatelli and ravioli. It was one of my favorite things to do. I love the idea of making whatever is in the fridge into something.
(2011, on being considered a very successful actor after Resacón en Las Vegas (2009) become a huge hit) It doesn't feel that way. Thank you for saying that. Not the case, I gotta say, but it certainly provided more opportunities. Everybody who was a part of that movie, because it was so financially lucrative, benefited from it but I still put myself on tape for movies and try to get roles. It's the same, you know? It's the same. I mean, look, more doors have been opened for sure but it's not like I sit back with a cigar on Monday morning and go through the scripts that have been offered - no, that's not the case.
(2011, on how he spends his spare time) Eating. I eat a lot of food. I am a big eater.
[on the characters in El lado bueno de las cosas (2012)] The fact that these guys are trying to adopt a positive attitude was really important to me. As Jack Nicholson always says, 'Try to incline yourself upwards as much as possible' because it is too easy in this world to incline yourself downwards. These people have every reason to incline themselves downwards, but they're trying to rebuild the economy of their lives. And that's why (they) aren't so fringy to me: they become the most sane people in the room.
Filming a movie with David O. Russell is an athletic endeavor. You are utterly drained at the end of the day because you have to be present at every turn, as if you're on a sports field. That high-octane rhythm demands that you stay in the moment and get out of your head. It's the only way you can be successful as an athlete. That's very scary for an actor.
[2012, on quitting drinking at age 29] I was at a party and deliberately bashed my head on the concrete floor. Like, 'Hey, look how tough I am!' I did it again. I spent the night at St. Vincent's Hospital with a sock of ice, waiting for them to stitch me up...I don't drink or do drugs anymore. Being sober helps a great deal... I remember looking at my life, my apartment, my dogs [when I was still using], and I thought, 'What's happening?' I was so concerned what [people] thought of me, how I was coming across, how I would survive the day. I always felt like an outsider. I just lived in my head. I realized I wasn't going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, 'Wow, I'm actually gonna ruin my life. I'm really gonna ruin it'.
[on shooting Resacón en Las Vegas (2009) in Las Vegas] People did not react to us. That's the one thing about Vegas: They were completely indifferent. We would go in the elevator at 5 in the morning after shooting, and I had huge scratches on my head, full make-up, and they don't give a fuck. It was unbelievable.
I plead guilty to the accusation of working with people again and again. That's the goal, to create an artistic circle that works. If you look at any period of art that's really exploding, it's people collaborating again and again.
I don't see myself as a ladies' man, but I love women.
After supporting roles in De boda en boda (2005), Novia por contrato (2006), The Comebacks (2007), Un rockero de pelotas (2008), and Di que sí (2008), Cooper broke out with major roles in Qué les pasa a los hombres (2009), Resacón en Las Vegas (2009), and Historias de San Valentín (2010). He co-starred in the action film El equipo A (2010) and headlined the thriller Sin límites (2011).
Cooper received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor after starring opposite 'Jennifer Lawrence' in David O. Russell's El lado bueno de las cosas (2012), as Pat Solatano. He then received two more consecutive Oscar nominations, Best Supporting Actor for playing Richie DiMaso in Russell's La gran estafa americana (2013) (again opposite Lawrence, though their characters shared no significant screen time), and Best Actor for playing Chris Kyle in Clint Eastwood's El francotirador (2014), the highest grossing film of 2014. During this time period, Cooper also reprised his role in Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) and The Hangover III (2013)_, turned in another strong dramatic turn in Cruce de caminos (2012), and voiced Rocket Raccoon in the third highest grossing film of 2014, Guardianes de la galaxia (2014).
In 2015, Bradley headlined two comedies, Cameron Crowe's Aloha (2015), set in Hawaii, and John Wells' Burnt (2015), set in London, and will star opposite Jennifer Lawrence again in David O. Russell's Joy (2015). - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
Spouse
Jennifer Esposito (21 December 2006 - 10 November 2007) (divorced)
Trade Mark
Piercing Blue Eyes
Often plays devious yet charming characters
Trivia
Was a medalist on the Men's Heavyweight Crew team at Georgetown University.Had to miss his graduation commencement to film Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
Considers Daniel Day-Lewis the world's greatest actor.
He attended Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1993.
His father, Charlie Cooper, was of Irish heritage, and worked as a stockbroker with Merrill Lynch. His mother, Gloria Cooper (née Campano), is of Italian heritage, and worked for an NBC station.
Cooper has spent many weekends with the Learning through the Expanded Arts Program (LEAP), which is a non-profit organization that teaches inner-city school children about acting.
Has an older sister.
Speaks French fluently. He even did an interview, promoting Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) entirely in French.
Friend of Dave Bugliari.
Was in a relationship with Renée Zellweger (July 2009-March 2011).
In the Steven Spielberg episode of Inside the Actors Studio (1994), Cooper appears in the audience about 15 minutes into the episode.
Member of the same Los Angeles gym as Ryan Gosling, Jason Sarayba, Jodie Foster, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Ashley Tisdale.
Became close friends with Victor Garber during production on Alias (2001).
While a guest on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (1988) (aka "Live with Regis & Kelly"), Cooper was asked which of the actresses he has costarred with was his favorite on-screen kisser. Instead of an actress, he chose Michael Ian Black, with whom he shared a love scene in Wet Hot American Summer (2001).
His favorite films include Historias de Nueva York (1989)(segment 'Life Lessons'), La conversación (1974), Celebración (1998) and La escafandra y la mariposa (2007).
Drives a 2007 black Prius, and a 2004 G55 AMG Mercedes truck. He also owns a Vespa, which was a gift from Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) director, Todd Phillips.
For six months prior to filming El equipo A (2010) and during the shoot, he cut out sugar, salt, and flour and underwent grueling two-hour workouts with a trainer every day.
Admitted that in the beginning of his career casting agents tended to peg him as just a 'pretty boy', which made finding meaningful roles challenging.
Claimed that watching David Lynch's production of El hombre elefante (1980) on television is what inspired him to be an actor. He later played the title character of John Merrick on stage for his graduate thesis at the Actors Studio, which he attended after graduating from Georgetown in 1997. He also went to London just to research the part, rather obsessively.
Is a teetotaler; he quit drinking at age 29.
Was named "The Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine (November 2011).
He is the first alumnus of The Actor's Studio to be interviewed as a guest on Inside the Actors Studio (1994). Cooper can be seen in the audience on two episodes, one with guest Robert De Niro, and again with Sean Penn. Cooper put himself on tape to audition for a role as De Niro's son in Todos están bien (2009) (with his own mother playing the part of De Niro), but lost out to Sam Rockwell. Cooper eventually starred with De Niro in Sin límites (2011), and again as father and son in El lado bueno de las cosas (2012). The film was released to great critical acclaim, and both actors earned Academy Award nominations for their performances.
Was cast as Lucifer in an adaption of Paradise Lost (directed by Alex Proyas). The movie was canceled 4 months before filming due to budget conflicts.
Has starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence in 4 movies: El lado bueno de las cosas (2012), La gran estafa americana (2013), Serena (2014), and Joy (2015).
Ranked #10 on Empire Online list of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in 2013.
Once had a job that required him to take out a $50,000 life insurance policy.
During an interview on the French TV Show "Le Journal de 19:45", he stated his desire to work with french director Guillaume Canet [February, 2014].
After graduating from Germantown Academy in 1993, he attended Villanova University for his first year, then transferred to Georgetown University, from which he graduated with honors with a BA in English in 1997. Later in 2000, he received an MFA in acting from Actors Studio Drama School at The New School in New York City.
While he was studying at The New School, Cooper worked as a doorman at the Morgans Hotel.
Received his first two Oscar nominations in films directed by David O. Russell and with Jennifer Lawrence as his co-star (El lado bueno de las cosas (2012) and La gran estafa americana (2013)).
Has starred alongside Robert De Niro in 3 movies: Sin límites (2011), El lado bueno de las cosas (2012) and La gran estafa americana (2013). He was an audience member during De Niro's first appearance on the Inside the Actors Studio (1994) in which he asked him about his performance in Despertares (1990).
Grew up in Jenkintown, in Montgomery County, a couple miles out of Philadelphia.
As of 2015, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: El lado bueno de las cosas (2012), La gran estafa americana (2013) and El francotirador(2014). And he also managed to secure Oscar nominations performing in all the three films.
Was considered for the lead role in 'Steve Jobs' (2015).
Can impersonate Robert De Niro Owen Wilson,Christopher Walken, and Bill Clinton after having met them and/or worked with them.
Personal Quotes
"There was a lot of Sack Lodges at my high school." - "Sack Lodge" is his character from De boda en boda (2005)."I was in New York shooting Ley y orden (1990) and the script came along, and I completely connected to it. From the first page, when he says, 'Ever since I was eight years old, I knew what I wanted to be.' When I was eight years old, I wanted to be a chef or an actor. I used to cook all the time. I worked in restaurants the first half of my life." - to The Boston Herald on getting the script for Kitchen Confidential (2005) (11/05)
I had size 12 feet when I was 10, so I thought I was going to be 6' 8". My goal was to be able to dunk a basket. I wound up being 6' 1" with size 14 feet. I got the raw end of the deal.
(2010, on his younger years) I never lived the life of 'Oh, you're so good-looking'. People thought I was a girl when I was little, because I looked like a girl-maybe because my mother would keep my hair really long in a bowl cut. I was in a coffee shop once and the waitress was like, 'What do you want, Miss?' I was 10 or 11-the worst age to have that happen. I had a jean jacket on and a Metallica pin. I thought I was really cool.
[2010, on the incredible shape he got into for El equipo A (2010) ] As the movie progressed, I got in increasingly better shape. There's this one fight scene with Liam Neeson toward the end, where it's, like, the apex of the work. We finished and Joe Carnahan's like, 'Brother, come here, look at this,' and he played it back, and I swear to God, it looked like my head was digitally superimposed onto someone else's body. I was like, 'This cannot be me-that's the way I look?' It was so fucking surreal, 'cause as a kid I only fantasized about looking that way. Remember Soloflex commercials? That was huge when I was a kid. It was like, 'I wanna be the Soloflex guy. Mom, can we get the Soloflex?'
(2010, on having to put himself on tape to send to casting directors when auditioning for roles as an aspiring actor) I'd love not to have to do that (anymore). I did it for this movie about UFC fighters a few years ago, and I didn't know anything about UFC fighters. I wore biking shorts. I was outside in my back yard in Venice, and I was, like, kicking the trash cans and shit. I didn't know what I was doing. I would love to fucking see that tape.
(2011) Todd Phillips gave Vespas to the cast of Resacón 2 ¡Ahora en Tailandia! (2011) when we finished shooting. And I thought, a Vespa? What the heck kind of gift is that? I mean, it's nice, but I'll never drive it. But I tell you, I cannot stop riding that Vespa. I dream about it when I'm away. It's gotten to the point where I think I'm screwed: I'm starting to look at motorcycles.
[2009, on his 'nice guy' role in Alias (2001) and how it nearly typecast him] I remember that after I left Alias, people wouldn't even see me. I'd put myself on tape at home for all these roles because they were like, "Oh, no, no. Bradley. He's such a good guy. He can't play that." Then it was David Dobkin, I went in for him on De boda en boda (2005) and he had no idea what 'Alias' was or anything. So he hired me right away and that was the major break. Then after that everyone was like, "Well, isn't he kind of an asshole? I mean, really. I think he's kind of an asshole." Elia Kazan always said that if you're going to play a cowboy you better show up with a horse because no one sees anything but what you bring. It's funny but sometimes people stop me and they're amazed that I'm not a complete asshole. They expect me to be an asshole right away. I gained a lot of weight to do 'Wedding Crashers' too and they're like, "Oh man, I thought you were bigger" because I was 215 lbs for that movie and I'm usually 185 lbs. But to be opposite Vince Vaughn and believe that I could destroy him in a football game...
(2009, on his pets) I have two beautiful dogs that I cherish. Samson is a 14-year-old German short hair pointer and Charlotte is a 6 or 7 year-old Chow Retriever mix. They are both rescue dogs and they are the best ... I'm sort of a hybrid of both my dogs. Samson is stoic and makes me earn it and Charlotte loves me undyingly. They're my kids.
(2009) I seriously love to cook ... My grandmother was an amazing cook. As a kid I used to help her make handmade pasta, cavatelli and ravioli. It was one of my favorite things to do. I love the idea of making whatever is in the fridge into something.
(2011, on being considered a very successful actor after Resacón en Las Vegas (2009) become a huge hit) It doesn't feel that way. Thank you for saying that. Not the case, I gotta say, but it certainly provided more opportunities. Everybody who was a part of that movie, because it was so financially lucrative, benefited from it but I still put myself on tape for movies and try to get roles. It's the same, you know? It's the same. I mean, look, more doors have been opened for sure but it's not like I sit back with a cigar on Monday morning and go through the scripts that have been offered - no, that's not the case.
(2011, on how he spends his spare time) Eating. I eat a lot of food. I am a big eater.
[on the characters in El lado bueno de las cosas (2012)] The fact that these guys are trying to adopt a positive attitude was really important to me. As Jack Nicholson always says, 'Try to incline yourself upwards as much as possible' because it is too easy in this world to incline yourself downwards. These people have every reason to incline themselves downwards, but they're trying to rebuild the economy of their lives. And that's why (they) aren't so fringy to me: they become the most sane people in the room.
Filming a movie with David O. Russell is an athletic endeavor. You are utterly drained at the end of the day because you have to be present at every turn, as if you're on a sports field. That high-octane rhythm demands that you stay in the moment and get out of your head. It's the only way you can be successful as an athlete. That's very scary for an actor.
[2012, on quitting drinking at age 29] I was at a party and deliberately bashed my head on the concrete floor. Like, 'Hey, look how tough I am!' I did it again. I spent the night at St. Vincent's Hospital with a sock of ice, waiting for them to stitch me up...I don't drink or do drugs anymore. Being sober helps a great deal... I remember looking at my life, my apartment, my dogs [when I was still using], and I thought, 'What's happening?' I was so concerned what [people] thought of me, how I was coming across, how I would survive the day. I always felt like an outsider. I just lived in my head. I realized I wasn't going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, 'Wow, I'm actually gonna ruin my life. I'm really gonna ruin it'.
[on shooting Resacón en Las Vegas (2009) in Las Vegas] People did not react to us. That's the one thing about Vegas: They were completely indifferent. We would go in the elevator at 5 in the morning after shooting, and I had huge scratches on my head, full make-up, and they don't give a fuck. It was unbelievable.
I plead guilty to the accusation of working with people again and again. That's the goal, to create an artistic circle that works. If you look at any period of art that's really exploding, it's people collaborating again and again.
I don't see myself as a ladies' man, but I love women.
Salary
The Hangover (2009) $600.000
The Hangover Part II (2011) $5.000.000
The Hangover Part III (2013) $15.000.000
American Hustle (2013) $2.500.000 + 9% gross point
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