» L7 Interview: Bradley Cooper
Star of The Hangover Bradley Cooper talks about buffing up and making buddies with screen legends for ultimate action flick The A-Team. Words: Glen Ferris
Until recently, Bradley Cooper was best known as a supporting actor with a few small parts in some high-profile gigs, such as Sex And The City, Yes Man and Wedding Crashers. But then The Hangover became a massive comedy hit in 2009 and he became an overnight sensation. Now he’s playing one quarter of those iconic soldiers of fortune known as The A-Team in the film version of the classic ’80s TV series – and relishing his first action role as the smooth-talking ladies man Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck (aka Face).
This is a movie that comes with the full weight of fan expectation. Do you think devotees of the original series will enjoy it?
I think they will. They’ll especially enjoy the first part of the movie. It’s almost like an origin story for The A-Team: you learn the Hannibal and Face have a longer history than the first two guys but we then meet B.A Baracus and then Murdock, that’s pretty cool. In this story it’s not the Vietnam war, it’s the end of the Iraq war and it sees us set up and court martialled and imprisoned for a crime we didn’t do – so, apart from a few changes, it’s the story that fans will know and love.
“I found myself discovering bruises every time I came home and I still have a scar from the butt of the M4”
How did you find recreating one of the best-loved characters from ’80s television?
I loved Face. When we looked at him, we wanted to create a sort of childlike enjoyment for what he did. He’s the guy you go to when you’re in a foreign place and you don’t know how to get anything. He always finds a way to get it, he’s sort of a con man. Joe [Carnahan, the director] wanted him to be the kind of guy you wanted to go into battle with; he loves his M4 machine gun and he loves what he does. He’s the one team member who loves being in The A-Team and just can’t get enough of it.
A key component to the movie’s success is the group dynamic between The A-Team members. Did you all get along?
Oh, absolutely. For a large part of the shoot, we were locked in the sardine can of a tank or a helicopter for up to 15 hours, so we benefited from the fact that we all got along. The four of us are so different, as the characters are, but we’re all good friends and that’s kind of wonderful.
The team’s leader in the movie is played by Liam Neeson, who takes over the role of Hannibal Smith from George Peppard. Does he have the right stuff to be a commander in real life?
You know, it’s Liam Neeson, it’s Oskar Schindler, it’s Michael Collins, it’s the guy from The Mission… He’s a great guy to work with. What was funny was that Liam was the first person to be cast in The A-Team and that made people put their heads up and think about the kind of movie that Joe Carnahan wanted to make. Liam’s casting made things interesting and it was a massive draw for me.
In terms of preparation, it really looks like you worked out for the role. Was it a tough gig to gear up for?
Well, there weren’t a plethora of action movies that were coming to me and I fought for this. There was a trainer, Conrad, who was training me for the movie and he came out to Vancouver. He provided me with a food regimen of 2,000 calories per day. It really didn’t matter where I was – hell travelled with me! As for the action on set, well, there was a scene that resulted in me tearing my hamstring. I found myself discovering new bruises every time I came home at night and I still have a scar from the butt of the M4. Epsom salts were my saviour on this movie.
The A-Team is released on Wednesday 28 July, see p25 for local screening times. Glen Ferris is the managing editor of www.screenrush.co.uk
