Bradley Cooper is recalling the harsh words of a famous Hollywood director.
Speaking on the SmartLess podcast with hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, the Silver Linings Playbook actor revealed he doesn't feel "respected" in Hollywood.
The New York Post reported the actor went on to say during the time he was promoting A Star Is Born – the film he made his directorial debut on – an "a**hole" filmmaker ridiculed him for gaining multiple Academy Award nominations.
Cooper claimed the filmmaker approached him and a fellow actress at a star-studded party four years ago where he said to the actor, "What world are we living in where you have seven nominations [for A Star Is Born] and she's only got three?"
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Advertise with NZME.The actor told the SmartLess podcast hosts that at the time he thought, "I f***ing hate this business" adding, "I'm like, 'Bro, why are you such an a**hole?' I would never f***ing forget that. Go f*** yourself."
Cooper did not name the director.
It wasn't the first time the actor had faced criticism from his Hollywood peers.
In 2013 The Hangover actor was nominated in the Best Actor category at the Oscars alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix and Denzel Washington, but one "hero actress" mocked his first-ever nomination at the awards show.
Cooper said, "This hero female actress, that I didn't know at all, comes up to me, she goes, 'I saw your movie. You deserve the nom,' "
"Then like 10, 20 minutes later — I'm not kidding — I pass her going to the bathroom and she mouths it: 'The nom.' I remember [thinking], 'What the f*** is this town?'"
"Can you imagine saying that to somebody? You've got to be f***ed up to do that."
Despite going on to get two more Academy Award nominations - for 2019's Joker and 2021's Nightmare Alley, both of which he co-produced and were up for Best Picture, Cooper admitted he felt "worthless" and "insecure" early on in his film career.
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Advertise with NZME.During the podcast episode, Cooper had a sweet moment with Arnett where they shared their emotional and mental health struggles as recovering addicts and said fatherhood has positively affected their relationships with themselves.
"Fatherhood is … everything changed," Cooper said. "Every single thing is absolutely shaded by or brought into glorious colours by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being."
The A Star Is Born actor shares five-year-old daughter Lea De Seine with his ex-girlfriend and model, Irina Shayk.
