A long long time ago before all the fame and prominence, Hollywood megastar Bradley Cooper starred in the hit Jennifer Garner show Alias. As time went by, the slow pace in which his career moved made him unhappy, and all things were made worse when the series kept on sidelining him and his character. With time, his frustration grew, and therefore he finally decided to break out of the ‘jail’ he was put in. With no new projects on the horizon and backup plans chalked out, the star practically begged the creator of the show to write him off at the end of season two.
In an interview with GQ, the actor shared in detail what went on inside his head that compelled him to take this risk, which fortunately worked out pretty well for him in the end.
Bradley Cooper Begged Alias Creator to Write Him off the Show
The ABC American thriller created by J.J. Abrams, which went on for five seasons, was a hit for several reasons, but Bradley Cooper‘s appearance in the show wasn’t one. As it was way before he became a Hollywood A-lister, people weren’t as excited to see Jennifer Graner‘s journalist friend Will Tippin then as they are now. Although Cooper’s Tippin started off strong, the number of lines he was allotted decreased noticeably as the series progressed. In the GQ 2014 cover interview, he stated,
“I would only work three days a week. And then for the second season, I got even more sidelined. I was like, ‘Ugh.’ And then next thing you know, I was like, ‘I want to f–king kill myself.'”
His frustration peaked when the show reached its second season. During that time, the actor felt like the routine had become monotonous for him, and he realized this path was leading him nowhere. Thus, in a desperate attempt to get out of the miserable situation, he requested the creator of the show to write him off the series completely. He said,
“J.J. was like, ‘Okay.’ He probably would’ve fired me, anyway.”
At that moment in time, even though he realized he relied on the show more than it relied on him, Cooper was glad he trusted his instincts and followed his heart.
Bradley Cooper’s Career After Alias
Bradley Cooper’s career post-Alias was nothing short of epic. The actor skyrocketed to fame as fast as he lost hope after exiting the Jennifer Garner show. Although it was a slow start in the beginning, as he tore his Achilles just a mere two weeks later leaving the show. Hence, he found himself sinking into the couch for the following year of his life with Vicodin and Tour de France as his only friends.
That is when he was ready to accept he was not made for the industry, in the same GQ interview he said,
“At some point, you have to come to terms with The business just doesn’t want you, you know what I mean?”
Soon after he was almost ready to lose all his hope, Wedding Crashers, fell into his lap. And the graph went only up after that. One project after another with All About Steve, Limitless, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle, a star was born (pun intended). He soon became a household name, and today he is one of the greatest Hollywood stars.
Alias is available on Disney+ to stream.
Source: GQ
