Bradley Cooper, the man who sports dreamy blue eyes and impressive acting chops, has graced the silver screen in numerous acclaimed movies. From playing a troubled bipolar man in Silver Linings Playbook to a war hero in American Sniper, he has shown off a variety of acting skills in recent years.
With a whopping 12 Oscar nominations under his belt, it’s undisputed that the actor, 49, certainly understands a thing or two about Hollywood’s biggest night. Having said that, despite his exceptional record at the Academy Awards, Cooper once shocked both fans and critics by referring to the ceremony as “utterly meaningless”.
Yes, the actor who’s been nominated for a gold statuette several times doesn’t seem to place much interest in the whole thing. With respect to his role as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, Cooper is currently a candidate for an Oscar.
Bradley Cooper’s Disdain for the Academy Awards
A multi-talented man with numerous Oscar nominations, Bradley Cooper has never been averse to expressing his opinions. In fact, he once shared his disdain for the film industry’s emphasis on awards season by stating that it is “very interesting and utterly meaningless”.
As of this writing, the American Hustle star has received 12 Oscar nominations for roles in front of and behind the camera. In an interview with Interview Magazine, he explained to Anthony Ramos why he thinks the awards season is “utterly meaningless”.
Ramos—whom Cooper directed in A Star Is Born—explained that it is simple to turn an Oscars ceremony into an event focused solely on yourself if you are among the “singled out” candidates. In agreement with Ramos, Cooper stated,
“That awards season stuff is a real test. It’s set up to foster that mentality. It’s quite a thing to work through, and it’s completely devoid of artistic creation. It’s not why you sacrifice everything to create art, and yet you spend so much time being a part of it if you’re, in quotes, ‘lucky enough to be a part of it’.”
It really does force you to “face ego, vanity, and insecurity,” the Joker actor continued, which was why it is ultimately a “great thing…very interesting and “utterly meaningless.”
Prior to the 91st Academy Awards, when Cooper was nominated for Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture for A Star Is Born, he expressed similar sentiments about the nomination process. He confessed that receiving recognition for a film was just “icing on the cake” and that Oscar nominations “play into things that have nothing to do with creative art” in a 2019 interview with Oprah Winfrey for her SuperSoul Conversation.
While his remarks may have ruffled some feathers in Hollywood, they also pose a curious question: Are the Oscars truly as insignificant as Cooper claimed?
Bradley Cooper Expressed Disappointment At Missing Out On Best Director At The Oscars
In spite of receiving an astounding eight Oscar nominations, Bradley Coopert’s A Star Is Born unfortunately did not receive a nomination for Best Director. In response to what many perceived as a major snub, the actor/director later said that he was “embarrassed” by his lack of recognition in the Academy Awards category.
Cooper stated in 2019 while appearing on Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Conversations:
“I was embarrassed… I was embarrassed because I felt I hadn’t done my job.”
Earlier this year, he responded to his multiple Academy Award nominations by calling the experience “very surreal”, citing his recent Maestro nomination (via Deadline). He stated:
“I mean just first of all, it is the year itself, to be included in a year where there’s just such incredible films. And then when we were finishing the movie, there was a discussion of whether it would come out next year or this year, and I remember thinking that I knew the movies that were coming out…And for all the work that everybody put in, for many of us to be acknowledged, you know, Pete it’s like very surreal.”
Could this be the year the actor finally takes home an Oscar? ABC is scheduled to broadcast the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
Also, you can watch Maestro on Netflix now.
