How Oprah Winfrey became an unlikely guiding light for Bradley Cooper
These days, Bradley Cooper is one of Hollywood’s most successful creative forces. He’s an acclaimed writer/director, having helmed two films – A Star is Born and Maestro – nominated for ‘Best Picture’ at the Academy Awards. He has pulled back slightly on starring roles in recent years, seemingly preferring to create his own movies from the ground up. However, he has kept his bank account ticking over by voicing Rocket in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him take the lead role in a hit movie soon enough. He wasn’t always at the top of the mountain, though – and he once revealed Oprah Winfrey was an unlikely guiding light for his ascent in the movie business.
Back in 2011, Cooper was a million miles away from his current position in the industry. He had finally broken out for the first time as Phil in Todd Phillips’ hugely profitable comedy The Hangover after years of toiling away in thankless supporting roles in film and television. He parlayed that success into becoming one part of the massive Valentine’s Day ensemble cast and tried his hand at action as Templeton Peck in Joe Carnahan’s big-screen A-Team adaptation.
However, Cooper’s first crack at an entire movie being placed on his shoulders was Neil Burger’s Limitless, which also featured Robert De Niro in a supporting role. Cooper played Eddie Morra, a writer who takes an experimental drug known as NZT-48 in order to unlock the unused parts of his brain. He uses his newfound “limitless” intellect to get rich and win back his ex-girlfriend Lindy but then experiences time skips he can’t account for and winds up on the hook to a murderous loan shark.
Limitless was a big hit at the box office, making $161million on a budget of $27m. It proved to Hollywood that Cooper had true leading man chops, and he relished the opportunity to expand his range outside of comedy. He told HeyUGuys, “It was nice to be cast in a different genre of movie for sure and where the burden of the storytelling was really on my shoulders. I loved that challenge.”
It was a transformative time in Cooper’s career, hard-earned after years of consistent work. Perhaps he was in a reflective mood when asked if he had ever found himself envious of someone else’s success and wondered if they had a magic pill they were taking to achieve it. In essence, did he think success came purely from hard work or was luck also a factor?
“In terms of being successful as an actor, I think luck plays a huge role,” admitted Cooper. “It’s like what Oprah said – although maybe she echoed somebody else – but she said, ‘Luck is preparation meets opportunity.’ That’s pretty true.”
Even though he had mentioned the quote in a slightly off-handed manner, it was clear Cooper had been applying the philosophy to his career for years. He explained that he knew many actors in his Grad school days who were hugely talented but didn’t seize the opportunities afforded to them, either by not working hard enough or by self-destructing.
So, while Cooper does believe luck has a hand in anyone’s success, he is also adamant that it would be impossible to get anywhere in life without working hard. He concluded, “Definitely, as an actor, from my experience, I don’t know how you could do it without working hard.”
