Bradley Cooper Says Addiction Left Him Feeling 'So Lost' & Will Arnett Helped Save Him
"I had a problem with drugs and alcohol."
Bradley Cooper.
Bradley Cooper opened up about his struggles with substance abuse and alcohol before his rise to fame, and he credits his pal Will Arnett with helping him turn his life around.
Cooper went into detail about his addiction problems in a sit-down chat for SmartLess, a podcast hosted by Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes this week.
He told the co-hosts that he first turned to drugs after hurting his Achilles tendon and "getting fired from slash quitting" the series Alias in 2006.
The actor-director revealed that he felt "so lost" during his struggles with addiction, but Arnett helped him through it by giving him a little bit of tough love.
"Will was like, 'Hey man, do you remember we had dinner the other night? How do you think that went?'" recalled Cooper. "I remember being at the dinner thinking I was so funny, and I thought these two guys who were my heroes thought that I was so funny. I was like 'I thought it was great. I thought I was killing.' Will Arnett was like, 'You were a real asshole, man. You were a real asshole.'
"That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol. The guy that I think is doing mean humor is telling me the truth and it changed my entire life."
Arnett also chimed in about Cooper's recovery.
"It has been awesome seeing you in this place and seeing you comfortable," he said. "Nothing has made me happier."
Cooper, who is currently shooting Maestro, was the guest for the 100th episode of the podcast, which is known for featuring Hollywood icons such as Courtney Cox, Ben Stiller and Sandra Bullock to name a few.
You can listen to Cooper's chat and all past episodes of SmartLess on Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.