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American actor Bradley Cooper recently opened up about his struggles with drugs and alcohol in his late 20s.
While talking to Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes on Amazon Music and Wondery’s SmartLess podcast, the 47-year-old star talked about his addiction and lower self-esteem before he found fame in Hollywood.
During the conversation, it was revealed that it was Arnett who had made Cooper realize that he had a substance abuse problem. In 2004, Arnett visited Cooper's house when he noticed that the star had not let his dogs out to go to the bathroom.
Bradley Cooper said:
"That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. It was Will saying that to me, I'll never forget it... It changed my entire life."
Cooper went on to say that he was in a bad situation at the time, with "zero self-esteem" and battling his insecurities.
"I was so lost. And I was addicted to cocaine, that was the other thing... I severed my Achilles tendon right after I got fired-slash-quit Alias."
Bradley Cooper is now sober and a completely changed man
Cooper, according to Bateman, is now the polar opposite of his old self: kind, considerate, and generous. Cooper attributed this element of his life to him hitting rock bottom before achieving success.
Cooper said:
"I did have the benefit of that happening when I was 29. I thought I made it when I got a Wendy's commercial, and I called my dad saying I'm in a hotel that has a window that opens. In terms of the made-it thing, that's when I made it. But moving to Los Angeles for Alias, [I was] feeling like I was back in high school: I could not get into any clubs, no girls wanted to look at me. I was totally depressed."
He added:
"It wasn't really until The Hangover. I was 36 when I did The Hangover, so I got to go through all those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level. So all that happened before any of that."
Adding to Bradley Cooper's statement, Will Arnett said that the star underwent a "metamorphosis" process, allowing him to be himself.
The Nightmare Alley star said that he had made some big breakthroughs from the age of 29 to 34 and credited Arnett for it. He said that at least he was "able to stand in front of someone and breathe and listen and talk."
The A Star Is Born actor added:
"Will is the reason, he took that risk of having that hard conversation with me in July of 2004, that put me on a path of deciding to change my life."
Bradley Cooper has never shied away from talking about his substance abuse problems from the past. In a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the star revealed that he doesn't drink or do drugs anymore:
"Being sober helps a great deal."
He further added that his addiction once landed him in a hospital where he spent the night "at St. Vincent's Hospital with a sock of ice, waiting for them to stitch me up."
"I realized I wasn't going to live up to my potential, and that scared the hell out of me. I thought, 'Wow, I'm actually gonna ruin my life; I'm really gonna ruin it.'"
On the professional front, Bradley Cooper will next star in Thor: Love and Thunder, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Maestro.
