Bradley Cooper has candidly opened up about his addiction to cocaine, revealing he was ‘so lost’ during his struggles in the noughties.
The American actor, 47, struggled with drug and alcohol addiction several years before he found massive fame in The Hangover franchise in 2009.
Speaking on the Smartless podcast this week, Bradley revealed: ‘I was so lost and I was addicted to cocaine, that was the other thing.’
He told podcast hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett about turning to alcohol and drugs after he severed his Achilles tendon and after he ‘got fired slash quit’ from American action series Alias.
The star explained that Will, 52, 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 a**hole’ during the evening.
Bradley explained: ‘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.’
However, the star acknowledged that while he was ‘totally depressed’, 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.’
Bradley starred as Phil in the award-winning comedy The Hangover, which was released in 2009. He also starred in the two sequels.
Speaking about the time he spent overcoming his addiction issues and developing his career, he 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.’
The A Star is Born actor also cited the birth of his daughter as a pivotal moment in his life.
Bradley welcomed daughter Lea in 2017 with his ex-partner Irina Shayk, with the pair sharing custody after their 2019 split.
He said: ‘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.’
While speaking on the podcast, Bradley played an audio clip of his daughter singing Baha Men’s Who Let the Dogs Out, which features in the first Hangover movie, and revealed he subsequently texted his co-stars Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms: ‘Hangover 4, let’s do it!’
Worried about drugs?
Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email [email protected], message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
Adfam has local groups for families affected by drugs and alcohol and DrugFam offers phone and email support to people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse.
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