February 17, 2015
Bradley Cooper appeared on "60 Minutes" Feb. 15, where he and correspondent Steve Kroft discussed the actor's rise to fame, his roles in "American Sniper" and "The Elephant Man" and, of course, the place he still calls home, Philadelphia.
Cooper's role as a Navy SEAL in Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" earned him his third Academy Award nomination. The star said it was his most challenging role.
In order to portray the real Chris Kyle, Cooper put on 40 pounds of muscle, perfected his Texas accent and spent his weekends doing sniper training with former SEALs. The actor explained how he was able to put himself directly into the moment, even though he knew it was a movie, and the people he was pointing his gun at were actors.
"Even though it was an empty gun, there were no bullets, you know, they're actors, it's not a real Russian grenade," he said. "But because of the work that I had done, it was enough so that my body physically changed. So those little things key you into what - maybe having a glimpse of what - any soldier has to go through."
Cooper's role on stage in New York City as "The Elephant Man" is drastically different. Once again, the actor put a lot of work into making himself a believable character, including 20 years of research. The show ends its run on Saturday.
Cooper, 40, still plans to start a family. Correspondent Kroft spent an afternoon with the actor's Irish-Italian family in the city he still calls home, Philadelphia.
Cooper's mother, Gloria Campano, will be his date to the Oscars on Sunday.
