Maestro star Bradley Cooper took the opportunity to poke fun at himself and his Oscar losses in his cameo appearance in Abbott Elementary. The Oscar-nominated actor stopped by the show to play as himself for the cold open.
The sixth episode of the series aired straight after the 96th Academy Awards which saw Cooper visiting the Philadelphia school and delivering a humorous performance.
Bradley Cooper Joined Abbott Elementary In A Cameo Role
In the scene, a student brings Bradley Cooper to Melissa Schemmenti’s (Lisa Ann Walter) class, and everyone is trying to know who he is and which movie he starred in. He said to the class:
“Whenever I’m in Philly, you know the deli across the street? That’s my first stop. My dad used to always take me there. They have the best hoagies in the city.”
One of the kids who ushered Cooper inside the classroom said, “Everybody wanted to take a picture with him, so I figured he was famous.” The characters started to mention titles of Oscar-nominated movies, though they could not figure out which one the actor has appeared in.
“Guys, he’s literally in a critically acclaimed film right now,” said Quinta Brunson’s Janine Teagues, before Schemmenti added, “Oppenheimer.” Cooper responded, “I’m not in Oppenheimer.” Janelle James’ Ava Coleman asked, “Are you sure? Everybody was in Oppenheimer.”
In an email shared by Variety, series creator Quinta Brunson said that Cooper was very much willing to do a cameo for the show since he is also a native of Philadelphia.
“We talked about the best creative way to have him join us for a cold open. Since he’s a local (to Philly) it was easy to imagine he was visiting his favorite deli. Besides that, he was lovely on set. Super kind and cool to the cast, crew, and kids. He walked down to meet the crew before it was even time for him to film.”
Cooper was nominated for Oscar’s Best Actor for his performance in Netflix’s Maestro as conductor Leonard Bernstein. He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film, which also received nods for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Unfortunately, it did not secure any wins.
Fans Are Left Confused And Shocked By Bradley Cooper’s Scene In Abbott Elementary
Fans did not expect Bradley Cooper’s cameo scene in Abbott Elementary, and as expected, many were surprised and equally baffled. While some expressed appreciation for the brilliant writers of the show, others were clearly confused as to why they had to invite Cooper and make fun of his Oscar losses. Check out people’s reactions below:
airing this right after he lost multiple oscars to oppenheimer was FOUL 😭 pic.twitter.com/sSpWLWCSzz
— s. (@tedsbecca) March 11, 2024
this is just so absolutely genius pic.twitter.com/K6Cj2j8HRn
— alex 💭 ⁷ (@nothnghppens) March 11, 2024
Most of us get the joke op made but some people think this was really an insult. Ya’ll know Bradley would have been in on it and know when this was airing right? He’s been accused of taking himself too seriously lately he probably jumped at the chance to do this 😂
— Reviewcentalk (@reviewcentalk) March 11, 2024
bros getting cooked left and right. my boy can’t catch a break just like he can’t catch an oscar 😭
— ً (@tylerduran21) March 12, 2024
It's really nice of Bradley, for being a part of this skit, it's almost like he knew this was coming and just went along with it for the jokes and fun of it. 🥺
— naanvaravathaniya (@aravind_senthil) March 12, 2024
why did they do him like that? this is wild 😭
— Lotus 🪷 (@foreign_lotus) March 12, 2024
Cooper was absolutely fine with the show’s cold open, and he certainly knew what he was getting himself into.
After all, Maestro getting a number of nominations at the Oscars is already a huge honor. Perhaps in the near future, Cooper will finally earn his much-deserved Oscar win.
Maestro is available to stream via Netflix.
