Hollywood superstar Bradley Cooper revealed in a 2011 interview that he came very close to taking on the role of Green Lantern in the 2011 DC film.
While the part ultimately went to Ryan Reynolds, Cooper found himself “in the mix for a hot second during casting“. But the reason he missed out on the role was hilariously enough a blessing in disguise for him.
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Imitating Christian Bale Cost Bradley Cooper ‘Green Lantern’ Movie
In a 2011 interview with the Belfast Telegraph, Cooper opened up about his experiences auditioning for the role of Green Lantern. Knowing that the role required physicality, Cooper decided to study Christian Bale’s transformation for Batman Begins.
“I watched Christian Bale work out for Batman and I started lifting like him“, Cooper said. He would wake up extra early to workout with a trainer, mimicking the intense regime Bale underwent. “I was doing pushups between takes just to look the part, I really wanted this role“, he added. Although the role eventually went to Reynolds in the end, Cooper looks back on it in good spirits.
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Bradley Cooper’s Lit Path Beyond Green Lantern
Despite missing out on Green Lantern, Cooper sees the experience as valuable in shaping his future career path as it helped him improve on other aspects of acting like music and voice acting.
This led to acclaimed performances in ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘, ‘American Hustle‘, and much later, ‘A Star Is Born‘, roles that wouldn’t necessarily require a superhero’s physique. He also made quite a name for himself in the superhero genre by voicing Rocket Raccoon in the ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy‘ franchise whereas Green Lantern went on to tank both critically and in the box office, something that he must be glad about in hindsight.
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