With the Awards season closing in, Bradley Cooper will be once again knocking on the Academy’s doors following his recent release Maestro, which has become one of the favorites for next year’s Oscars. Cooper, who has been nominated a whopping nine times at the Academy in the acting, writing, and producing categories, surpassed Glenn Close and Peter O’Toole for most Oscar nods without a win.
And while time will tell whether his Oscar drought will finally end with Maestro or not, the Guardians Star mightn’t have grown to such prominence if it wasn’t for his brief part in this 2002 horror.
Also read: Bradley Cooper’s Ultimatum Became Carey Mulligan’s “Therapy” Before Working Together on ‘Maestro’
Bradley Cooper Shined in 2002’s My Little Eye Despite Limited Screentime
The year following his Hollywood debut with Wet Hot American Summer witnessed a young Bradley Cooper putting his acting prowess to the forefront in the found footage horror My Little Eye. Following the boom of this genre, thanks to The Blair Witch Project, which came a few years before My Little Eye, the rated-R horror was able to score decent, as it took a new spin on this genre. And one of the biggest positives of the horror was Bradley Cooper’s Travis Patterson.
Even though he was only in the movie for a few minutes, the actor succeeds in creating a sense of uneasiness among fans, and despite not being central to the movie itself, he stole the limelight. Although his character leaves after a single day from the mansion in the movie, it’s enough to make the audience unnerved, and his exit leaves the audience on edge for the rest of the runtime. While My Little Eye doesn’t stand toe to toe with some of his other heavy hitters, this was the role that put his skills into the limelight, leading to the actor gaining several acclaimed roles over the years.
Bradley Cooper wouldn’t hesitate to reprise one of his most beloved roles
Debuted 7 years after Bradley Cooper proved himself to be a competent actor, The Hangover franchise skyrocketed Bradley Cooper’s career to the top. And while director Todd Phillips has showcased no interest in returning for a Hangover 4, the Guardians Star explained that he’d return for the fourth part in a heartbeat if Phillips ever decides to make one. In The New Yorker Radio Hour podcast, he said,
“Well, I would do Hangover 5. It would be Hangover 4 first, but yeah. I would do probably Hangover 4 in an instant, yeah, just because I love [director] Todd [Phillips], I love Zach [Galifianakis], I love Ed [Helms] so much. I probably would, yeah. I don’t think Todd’s ever going to do that.”
Although a new entry in the Hangover franchise seems unlikely following Phillips’ commitment to Joker, fans will hope the actor at least gets the Oscar recognition that he deserves.
My Little Eye is available to stream on Apple TV.
