Kelly & Michael: Bradley Cooper “The Silver Linings Playbook”

Bradley Cooper: “The Silver Linings Playbook”

The upcoming Silver Linings Playbook looks like it’s going to be a really great, funny, and heartfelt film. Kelly and Michael recently got to speak with one of the films’ stars, Robert DeNiro. Next up was Bradley Cooper, who plays the lead role of a mentally unstable Philadelphia man. Bradley discussed what it was like to play a man with bipolar disorder, and also why he is the “Sexiest Man Alive” no more.

The last time Bradley appeared on Live, he was promoting his film The Words and brought along his adorable dog, Charlotte. He said that Charlotte, a rescue, is still doing great, but she recently suffered a bite on the ear from another dog. Poor Charlotte!

Bradley Cooper: “Sexiest Man Alive” Reign Ends

Bradley was declared 2012’s “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine, but his reign is nearly at its end. When the new issue hits newsstands, there will be a brand handsome hunk on the cover. Kelly wondered if Bradley had any plans for passing the torch. He joked that there’s a retreat in Lake Tahoe run by George Clooney.

Want to know who else will be in the pages of People? Our very own Michael Strahan! He recently did a photo shoot for the “Sexiest” issue, so he could be the man to steal Bradley’s title!

Bradley Cooper: Playing a Character With Mental Illness

Silver Linings Playbook takes place in Philadelphia, which is Bradley’s hometown. He said that director David O. Russell did a great job of capturing an authentic Philadelphia feel, as opposed to a lot of films where Philadelphians just seem like New Yorkers. Since his family are Philly natives, Russell even had Bradley’s uncle come in and read lines from the script to help create that unique Philadelphia style.

Bradley’s character, Pat, is a divorcee who suffers a mental breakdown, spends time at an institution, and then moves back in with his parents. It’s eventually revealed that Pat has bipolar disorder, which Bradley worked hard at conveying authentically. It seems like he did a great job, because when Bradley’s mom visited the set, she told Bradley “this is the first time it feels like you’re not acting.” He wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a compliment!

Bradley brought along a clip of Pat with his parents, played by Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver, after Pat wakes them up in the middle of the night to discuss an Ernest Hemingway novel. You can see Silver Linings Playbook in theaters on nationwide November 21 2012.