Ok, ladies, wipe the drool off -- and guys, you know you think he's hilarious -- but that's not all movie star and Philadelphia native Bradley Cooper is -- hot and hilarious. He's also smart, humble and thankful to be working.
And lucky us, we got to sit down with "The Hangover" star and learn more about his favorite Phillies, being local, his life and "Limitless."
NBCPhiladelphia: You grew up right outside of Jenkintown, what was your childhood like?
Bradley Cooper: It was good (laughing). It was me and my sister Holly, six years older than me. We grew up right across from Baederwood Shopping Center, right across from a movie theater. My father was a stock broker. We hung out with my mother's side of the family a lot. My mother's Italian, my grandfather was a cop in South Philly. She has two brothers -- Thomas and Ernie. (Laughing) I could go on for like 15 minutes.
NBC: You went to Villanova your freshman year, right?
BC: Yup, went to Villanova for a year.
NBCPhiladelphia: So why’d you transfer?
BC: Well, not because it wasn’t a great school, but I just had it in my head that I wanted to go to Georgetown and I applied to Georgetown out of high school and was rejected. I didn’t even give Villanova a chance really, because I knew I wanted to reapply.
NBCPhiladelphia: Was acting something you always wanted to do?
BC: Yeah, I always wanted to do it, I just, uh, I never did anything about it until after college.
NBCPhiladelphia: Why’s that?
BC: That’s a good question (laughing).
NBCPhiladelphia: What was your first acting job?
BC: My first acting job, I was an extra in a Dell Computer commercial. If you even consider that an acting job – paying acting job.
NBCPhiladelphia: You’ve had TV roles, movie roles and theater roles, what’s your favorite?
BC: They’re all different and have different challenges. I grew up loving film and that’s what made me want to be an actor. I love the minutia, sort of how we try to capture one beautiful moment and you can have a lot of s*&^ in order to get there and you keep going back and it’s all sort of surgical (film). And theater, you’re on the stage naked with the other actors telling the story and all the energy is occurring at the time that you’re doing it, whereas in film, it occurs after.
Television is just it’s own sort of machine, at least network television, where you don’t even really know what’s happening, you’re just sort of jumping into that wheel that day – depending upon what the audience is thinking, the network is saying.
I love theater just because it’s so invigorating.
NBCPhiladelphia: When did you first realize you'd hit it big?
BC: All I know is that I’m lucky enough to work, that’s how it feels. And I was lucky enough to be part of a movie that was a huge hit, “The Hangover,” then I felt like, ‘Ok, more people are recognizing me maybe because of that.’
And luckily, I was able to be a part of stuff that was successful before that, so I was able to observe it. Like “Alias” was a huge hit and J.J. Abrams just exploded and Jennifer Garner and then also “Wedding Crashers.”
NBCPhiladelphia: How is “Hangover 2” going to top the first?
BC: It’s not even about topping the first, the hope is that it’s just a continuation of the first one. I think it’s going to be great. It’s out in a second – it’s out in two months. It’s so weird, it feels like we just finished shooting it.
NBCPhiladelphia: You shot it in Bangkok, how was that?
BC: Unbelievable! Very hard though, I gotta’ say, it was the hardest movie I’ve ever done. All of us, the whole cast, and I don’t even know why. It was like “Apocolypse Now” the comedy.
NBCPhiladelphia: Tell us about “Limitless”
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NBCPhiladelphia: If the pill was real, would you take it?
BC: Yeah. I would have to take it. Wouldn’t you?
NBCPhiladelphia: How was it working with Robert DeNiro?
BC: Incredible. I loved it. None of it was lost on me, the experience of playing Eddie Moore (his character in the film), the experience of working with Robert DeNiro – I really embraced the hell out of it.
NBCPhiladelphia: How was it, coming back to film the movie in your hometown?
BC: Shooting in Philly was surreal, you know? Our trailers were right in front of City Hall each morning and then I’d get and I’d see Bob (Robert DeNiro) would be walking out of his trailer. It was so crazy! That I call him Bob is crazy, that I’m here with you is crazy. The whole thing’s crazy.
NBCPhiladelphia: What would you be doing if you weren’t acting?
BC: (Laughs) That’s scary. I have no idea, I really don’t. I’d be screwed.
NBCPhiladelphia: So…Geno’s or Pat’s?
BC: Pat’s. I grew up at Pat’s. In fact, I wasn’t even allowed to cross the street. I love Pat’s.
Want a couple more Bradley Cooper facts? He was once in the audience of Ukee Washington's teen show "Wrap Around." Hear what he has to say about being on the show.
And as far as the Phillies are concered, Cooper loves old school players like Gary Matthews and Lenny Dykstra.
For more Bradley Cooper, check out "Phamous" on NBCPhiladelphia Nonstop on Comcast 248 and Verizon Fios, channel 460 in April.
