Bradley Cooper: The coolest muthaf*cker on the planet!

Bradley Cooper has been on my radar since he played Rachel McAdams’ douchebag fiancée in The Wedding Crashers. While I despised his character in that movie, I thought his delivery was brilliant and he held his own with stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. After that first introduction to him I’ve made a point to watch everything he’s in. From obscure thrillers like The Midnight Meat Train and Case 39, to rom-coms He’s Just Not That Into You and Valentine’s Day, to his more popular fare The Hangover and The A-Team, there’s just something about him that says “I’m the coolest muthaf*ucker on the planet!” and he can make even the worst movie bearable to sit through (All About Steve, anyone?).

Not much of a surprise, Cooper is just as cool in person and is also very approachable and genuinely nice. While speaking with him during a roundtable interview in Toronto to promote The Hangover Part II, he joked with the group of us, praised his co-stars, and showed so much enthusiasm about his character in the film, Phil, it was hard to not get caught-up in his excitement. Read our interview below.

With the success of The Hangover, was there more pressure on you as an actor this time?

No, I was just excited. It was more excitement than anything else. I had never done anything like this. I was on the TV show Alias where I went back two years later and did one episode, but that’s not really the same thing. So I was really looking forward to playing Phil again and seeing what that would be like after two years and having shot The A-Team and Limitless and being in a different place in my life. It was fascinating.

What do you think it is about the first film that changed the comedy genre?

I don’t know. I wouldn’t say that the structure is new, but in a way it was because it functions on various levels. It’s a hard-boiled detective movie, it’s also a film noir, it’s a whodunit, and a thriller. The second one encompasses all of those and it’s also espionage now. I like to call it the Mr. Chow genre.

Was there anything you wanted to bring to the sequel?

The biggest question we had to ask ourselves was if we were going to completely deviate from [the first film] and just take these three guys on a completely new journey, or if we were going to adhere to the structure of the first one. I was over-the-moon we adhered to it because as a fan of the first one I don’t think we’ve earned the ability to take these three guys out of it yet. I don’t know them well enough to see a movie that deals with their family life or something. I want to see them forget what happened the night before, see Phil call Tracy and say “We fucked up again”, and me to know as a viewer we’re going to get another ride. I want it to be darker and I want those stakes to be raised. Let’s beat Vegas!

How do you think it turned out?

I saw it two weeks ago and I think it’s a better movie. Now, it’s not as new as the first one because the first one established the structure. But if you can separate yourself from that and just look at the film as a whole, you can’t even argue that it’s not as a good as the first one.

How was the experience of filming in Thailand?

I loved it. But it was the hardest job I’d ever done. Logistically it was a nightmare and the bureaucracy of getting things done was difficult. There was just a lot of people around all the time and [director Todd Phillips] likes a lean set. When there are a lot of people around it changes the dynamic and can make it stressful. And you know, we were half-way around the world. But all of those elements made the movie as pungent as it is. You really feel like we’re in Bangkok and see it in our eyes and our swagger. Vegas was a huge character in the first one and Bangkok is too. It’s even described in human-like terms.

What was it like working with a monkey?

She was wonderful. The great thing about working with animals is that it forces you to be present because you don’t know what they are going to do. I had the opportunity to be with her a lot because she’s on my shoulder for almost half the movie. That was a real lesson in relaxation… having a monkey on your shoulder all the time right next to your ear when you have to do a lot of scenes and walk through Bangkok and have elephants behind you she doesn’t like. She arguably steals the whole movie.

What did you take away from The Hangover Part II more than anything else?

I was blown away by what Ed [Helms] does in the movie. I think he’s incredible. He’s channeling some Jack Lemmon-Jim Carrey shit in this movie. He pulls it off and because he pulled it off the movie works. He had by far the hardest job and I think he’ll benefit the most. I come out of the movie thinking “I want to see this guy do everything”.

The Hangover Part II is in theatres May 26.

Top image: Bradley Cooper in The Hangover Part II. Courtesy Warner Bros.