"I thought I’m going to die": Bradley Cooper feels "very lucky" after overcoming addictions

Bradley Cooper feels "very lucky" to have overcome his addictions in the early 2000s. The actor spoke about the same in episode 6 of National Geographic's Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge, which was released on August 13, 2023.

According to People, host Bear Grylls and Bradley had a heart-to-heart while on the wilderness trip. The Hangover actor talked about overcoming his serious addiction and alcohol abuse problems with Grylls. He also told the British adventurer that he was 19 years sober.

The actor also talked about how he almost relapsed after the news of his father's death reached him.

"I definitely had a nihilistic attitude towards life after, just like I thought ‘I’m going to die.'"

Grylls and Bradley talked at length about the actor's experience with addiction.

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Bradley Cooper talks about his journey with addiction,

Bradley Cooper went on a very risky trip with British adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls on his show, Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge. The show included many stunts, including one where the two hung out at the side of the mountain, tens of feet off the ground.

The show made space for some serious conversations, alongside the thrill. According to Page Six, at one point in the episode, Bradley Cooper opened up about how he "did not get lost in fame." When Grylls asked him about his "wild" years, Bradley admitted to his past saying,

"In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah. But nothing to do with fame, though."

He also mentioned his sobriety, sharing that he was lucky that he got sober at 29 years of age and has been sober for 19 years.

Bradley Cooper's father was diagnosed with cancer, which later took his life in 2011. He shared with Grylls that he might have relapsed when he lost his father, adding that he had developed a nihilistic attitude towards life and thought that he was "going to die." Cooper, however, managed to overcome this challenge as well.

"I don’t know, it wasn’t great for a little bit until I thought I have to embrace who I actually am and try to find peace with that, and then it sort of evened out."

As per People, The Maestro actor talked about his daughter, Lea, and how their relationship will be affected by the dynamics the form had with his father. He said:

"I mean, you learn from your predecessor's mistakes. And I'll make tons that hopefully Lea will learn from, and then being rigorous with myself to grow."

The star added that he had to ensure he helped unburden his daughter with any of his "bullsh*t."

Further, Grylls asked Bradley Cooper if his knowledge about alcohol abuse and addiction helped him play the role of Jackson Maine, an alcoholic in A Star is Born.

"It made it easier to be able to really enter in there. And thank goodness I was at a place in my life where I was at ease with all of that, so I could really let myself go."

Bradley concluded the conversation by observing how lucky he had been with the many roles he's had the chance to play, calling it a "real blessing," and hoping that he gets to "keep doing it."

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Bradley Cooper's recent Maestro controversy

In other news, the actor has recently found himself embroiled in a controversy. His upcoming movie, Maestro, that has been described by Entertainment Weekly as a love story about "the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein," has been criticized for reportedly being anti-semitic.

Netizens are offended by Bradley Cooper using a prosthetic nose to enhance his features to make him "look" more Jewish. According to Variety, many people expressed that the prosthetic was unnecessary, and it was a way to mock Jewish people and promote harmful stereotypes.

However, some fans are siding with the actor, saying the prosthetic doesn't seem like a malicious attack against Jewish people and that movies are meant to be art.