Bradley Cooper Seems Poised To Take Home His First Oscar Statue
By Favour Adegoke on January 30, 2022 at 1:00 PM EST
Bradley Cooper started showing up on TV as early as 2001, as Will Tippin in the ABC drama “Alias.” After the show ended, the “American Sniper” star began his steady climb to becoming one of Hollywood’s A-list actors after appearing in “The Hangover.”
His first Oscar nomination came with his performance in “Silver Linings Playbook” with Jennifer Lawrence. Over time Cooper got even more Oscar buzz, although he never actually won the award. He was nominated for eight Oscars, many stemming from his directional debut in “A Star is Born” with Lady Gaga in 2019.
The actor also got nominations for his role as a producer in “Joker,” “American Hustle,” “American Sniper.” Cooper recently appeared in two generally applauded movies as a lead character and a supporting one. His performance in both films could land the actor double nominations this awards season and possibly an actual win.
Cooper Hasn’t Won An Oscar Before
“The Hangover” movies were a huge success and brought Cooper to the limelight. After his appearance in “The Hangover,” he started getting more notable movie roles. However, his role in “Silver Linings Playbook” in 2012 made him even more famous than his previous roles.
The movie gave Cooper his first Oscar nomination for his lead role and got his co-actor Jennifer Lawrence her first Oscar win. They also got nominated for their performance in “American Hustle” the next year. Cooper continued getting Oscar-nominated for years to come but sadly never won the award.
In 2014, the “Joker” producer got a Best Actor nomination in one of the year’s biggest movies, “American Sniper” by Clint Eastwood. However, he did not win the award for his producing or acting roles.
Cooper Might Be Among 2022 Oscar Contenders
Cooper recently appeared in two heavily lauded movies. He played the magnetic supporting role of movie producer Jon Peters in “Licorice Pizza,” a critically acclaimed drama by Paul Thomas Anderson. The actor was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and several other critics’ awards nominations for his role. So an Oscar nomination shouldn’t be so far off.
His second movie is “Nightmare Alley” where he played the lead role of Stanton “Stan” Carlisle. Cooper’s performance in this movie is so lauded that the actor might be nominated for Best Actor in the upcoming Oscars. The movie’s director Guillermo del Toro’s previous film “The Shape of Water” won Best Picture in the 2018 Oscars.
Other serious contenders for the Best Actor Oscar award are Will Smith, Andrew Garfield, and Benedict Cumberbatch. They performed notably well in their various movies last year. However, don’t count Cooper out just yet.
Cooper Is Trying His Hand At Directing Again
Although Cooper’s double Oscar nomination isn’t set in stone, the actor will likely bounce back when his next movie is released. “Maestro” is a biopic about a famous Broadway composer called Leonard Bernstein, and the film will be the “American Hustle” first effort at directing since “A Star is Born.”
In addition, Cooper will also write the film and act as the main character, Bernstein. The movie seems like a project just up the Academy Award’s alley and one that they would celebrate. Cooper’s continuous brush with Oscars signifies that the actor will get the coveted award sooner or later. It’s only a matter of deciding the movie that’ll make it happen.
Cooper almost lost his role in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’
One of Cooper’s biggest movies, “Silver Linings Playbook,” almost cast someone else for its lead role. The movie was originally based on a book and optioned as a film before publication. Its director David O. Russell revealed that another actor popped into his head as the lead character when he got the script.
Russell mentioned Vince Vaughn as his first choice but changed his mind after seeing Cooper’s performance in “Wedding Crashers.” It was tricky to find the perfect balance for the movie because it was reportedly a mix of genres like romance, drama, and comedy.
Even Lawrence wasn’t Russell’s first choice. The director initially thought at 21, she would be too young to play Tiffany properly and that Zooey Deschanel would be perfect for the role. However, Lawrence managed to impress him at her audition, nab the role, and eventually give a critically lauded performance.
