Bradley Cooper Reveals Renowned Director Made Fun of Him for Having 7 Oscar Nominations

Bradley Cooper recently opened up about some of his experiences in Hollywood and revealed how a renowned director once made fun of him for having seven Oscar nominations. Cooper was a guest on the SmartLess podcast (via IndieWire) and detailed the story which happened at an Oscar party during the season when he'd received three Academy Award nominations for A Star Is Born (actor, original screenplay and best picture). He'd previously earned three other acting nominations as well as one for being a producer on American Sniper.

At the party, Cooper says he was joined by an actress who was a friend. He did not mention her name but stated that she had three previous nominations at the time. The director, whom Cooper also did not identify, stuck up a conversation with them and mocked Cooper's Oscar nominations by saying, "What world are we living in where you have seven nominations and she's only got three?" Cooper continued, "I'm like, 'Bro, why are you such an a—hole?' I would never f—ing forget that. Go f— yourself." Cooper now has nine Oscar nominations due to being a co-producer on both Joker and Nightmare Alley, both of which picked up Best Picture nominations.

According to Cooper, the rude director wasn't the only person to ridicule him on his award nominations. The actor also recalled a situation wherein a "hero female actress" spoke condescendingly to him after his first Oscar acting nomination for Silver Linings Playbook. "She's like, 'I saw your movie. You deserve the nom,'" Cooper remembered. "I was like, 'What? I'm sorry, what?' 'The nom.' Then like 10 or 20 minutes later – I'm not kidding – I passed her going to the bathroom and she mouths it, 'The nom.' I remember [thinking], what the f— is this town?' Can you imagine saying that to somebody? You've got to be f—ed up to do that."

Cooper is already stirring Oscar buzz on his next film, Maestro, a biopic about the life of iconic composer Leonard Bernstein. In addition to directing and co-writing the film, Cooper will portray the legendary conductor, with Carey Mulligan starring as his wife, Felicia Montealegre. "There's the movie; a movie about marriage, a movie about family. That's it," Cooper said of the film. 

"Why is it nuclear? Because it's this f—ing music. Music is nuclear," he continued. "I had a secret weapon in A Star is Born. It was Lady Gaga. The secret weapon I have in this movie is f—ing Leonard Bernstein and Gustav Mahler. The music!" The Netflix-backed Maestro does not currently have an announced release date but is not expected to be released until sometime in 2023.