Q&A: Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper (Credit: Paul Morigi/WireImage.com)

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If you don’t already know who Bradley Cooper is, you will soon.

The charismatic co-star of films like “Wedding Crashers,” “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “Wet Hot American Summer” is now front and center in “The Hangover,” directed by Todd Phillips (“Old School,” “Road Trip”) and opening June 5. Soon, Cooper will star in a romantic comedy with Sandra Bullock (“All About Steve”), a horror movie with Renée Zellweger (“Case 39”) and is rumored to headline a big screen adaptation of the comic fave “The Green Lantern.” Convinced?

In “The Hangover,” Cooper plays Phil, the de facto leader of a trio of, um, non-geniuses (Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis) who lose their best friend (Justin Bartha) during his wild, Las Vegas bachelor party. They spend the next day hunting for their pal and piecing together the night before, all in an attempt to make it back in time for the wedding.

In a room at the Trump Hotel, Cooper, 34, discussed his own worst hangover and why filming in Vegas changed his perception of the city—and, no, not because he saw Cher 14 times while he was there.

If, like Phil, you woke up hungover to the sight of an unexplainable tiger, chicken and baby in the room, what’s the first thing you would do?
What time of day is it? What happened? You mean, the exact situation as our characters? I wish I would do what Phil does; he just sat down and had a drink of whatever was sitting at the table.

In reality, would you panic?
Of course! I’d flip out. I’d probably grab the baby and run out of the hotel. Call the animal services [about] the tiger.

You wouldn’t ride the tiger out of the hotel?
If I wanted to be killed, yeah.

What do you think people expect from a movie called “The Hangover”?
Probably not what they’re going to get, that’s for sure. They probably don’t expect a dark [detective] mystery, which I think a lot of the movie is. But I hope they expect a comedy.

Or a story about people passed out in the gutter?
Maybe. It’s a movie about a hangover and what the result of bad decisions can bring you.

True or false: If you can’t remember it, it must have been fun.
True. ‘Cause why go the other way? You can’t remember. It doesn’t matter. So might as well pretend it was fun.

What kind of a date movie is “The Hangover”? Will guys feel awkward bringing their girlfriends?
No, not at all. It’s funny, man. I think it’s a great date movie. Any time you can take somebody somewhere and you can laugh together, it’s the perfect date.

What about guys who don’t want their girlfriends to know what goes on during Vegas bachelor parties?
No, because the movie’s not about a bachelor party. It’s about the day after a bachelor party. So it doesn’t apply.

Why does Vegas bring surprising things out of people?
Ed Helms described it as relieving the pressure on the country. It’s the one place where you can let the steam out. It’s a place where people can go and everything is excusable. It’s like Sodom and Gomorrah. And that makes me feel anxious.

Anxious?
I don’t love Vegas. And then [during filming] when I lived there for a month and a half in Caesars Palace I actually started to really like it a lot. Now I totally dig it.

What changed?
I don’t know. I just got used to it. All the sounds and the slot machines. When you get out of the airport, it gave me a panic attack.

What’s the worst hangover you’ve ever had? Do you have any remedies?
No, I’m bad with that because I used to think you could sweat the hangover out of you, which is the worst thing because you just become more dehydrated, which is basically what happens from drinking too much anyway. The worst hangover? Jagermeister killed me early on. I sort of went through the Jagermeister stage very fast.

So if you were going to name a drink that you cannot, should not have …?
That and Goldschlager. Remember that? [groans]

You lose the groom in the movie. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever lost?
My innocence.

Aww. Where did it go?
God knows.

Describe in two words what it’s like to kiss Scarlett Johansson (in “He’s Just Not That Into You”) and Rachel McAdams (in “Wedding Crashers”).
Did you ever see “Rush”? There’s a great line in that movie where the guy’s talking about what it’s like to do heroin. He’s like, “Aww man, it’s like floating on a cloud of titties.”

Is that your answer for one or both of them?
I just decided to quote that movie. I don’t know if that’s the answer.

You’re in Chicago. You have a hangover. Where would you go? What would you do?
I’d jump in that river. It looks great. That’s all I’d like to do.

You’re still bubbling under the surface of major stardom but have had some pretty big roles. Do you get recognized? If so, what’s something someone said to you?
No ... “Crabcakes and football.” It’s a line from “Wedding Crashers” that I don’t even say. Which is hilarious.

Did you correct them?
No.  He was so excited.

No “Wet Hot American Summer” references?
Occasionally. They’re very rare. No, no one knows I’m in that movie. People love that movie, but they don’t really remember that I’m in it. Even when they saw it for the first time. I remember going to Sundance and going to the screening, and [afterwards] everybody [was] herding around A.D. Miles, and going like “Excuse me” and pushing me out of the way.

See what inspires Cooper to answer "hot," "naked" and "brutal" in the Metromix Word Association.

Find showtimes for "The Hangover."