Bradley Cooper reveals how Vince Vaughn “changed me forever” as an actor
The role of Sack Lodge in David Dobkin’s hit 2005 comedy, Wedding Crashers, raised Bradley Cooper career to the next level, and the experience of working with Vince Vaughn also improved his craft as an actor.
Remarkably convincing as the smarmy and arrogant rival to Vaughn’s Jeremy Grey in trying to capture the affections of Rachel McAdams’ Claire Cleary, the film marked Cooper’s most high-profile gig to date. It also provided an indication of the comedic talents that would be put to great use when he secured his star-making turn in The Hangover several years later.
Cooper has since evolved into a well-respected dramatic actor and accomplished filmmaker who recently secured his tenth, 11th, and 12th Academy Award nominations when Maestro was shortlisted for ‘Best Actor’, ‘Best Picture’, and ‘Best Director’. However, in a new interview, he’s explained how Wedding Crashers altered his entire professional worldview thanks to Vaughn.
“Up until that point, I was always just trying to get it right on camera. Be present and get it right”, he said in an interview with the SAG-AFTRA. “I’m watching Vince Vaughn destroy a scene, just crush it, and then he wants another take”.
“Watching Vince Vaughn, this huge tough guy, funniest guy, quickest guy. I was just in awe of this human, this man just failing, just willing to try anything”, he continued.
Cooper added: “At some point, he was just scatting and caught onto this thing and was doing this song. I loved seeing it, but clearly it wasn’t working. But it didn’t even matter. It was all of us watching this artist just explore with complete abandon”.
“It changed me forever, that was the moment,” Cooper concluded.
In a two-and-a-half star review of Maestro, Far Out‘s Thomas Leatham suggested, “It’s hard to understand what Maestro’s intention is, though. To show Bernstein’s brilliance or portray him as a bit of an egotistical asshole that largely neglected his family despite that brilliance? Whatever Cooper’s intention, he seems to have been able to give a surprising insight into the life of one of the most celebrated figures in the music world.”
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