Bradley Cooper: On ‘Joy’ Of Being Sober, Says Would Have No Chance Otherwise [Video]

Bradley Cooper has been open about his struggle with addiction during many press interviews, and has most recently chatted with Barbara Walters as to how getting sober at the age of 29 changed his life.

As Design & Trend shares, Cooper was candid about his struggle and how his success is directly related to ridding himself of his addiction to alcohol when he did. The publication relays Cooper’s words to Walters.

“I would never be sitting here with you, no way, no chance, [if I hadn’t quit]. I wouldn’t have been able to have access to myself or other people, or even been able to take in other people, if I hadn’t changed my life. I never would have been able to have the relationships that I do. I never would have been able to take care of my father the way I did when he was sick. So many things.”

As for Cooper’s father, who died in 2011, the star shares that he wishes he had more time with him so that his dad could continue to see all his successes.

“I really wish, I mean thank God he was alive for so many of the successes, but like the Clint Eastwood thing he would have really loved — that was one of his heroes. My father sat me down and said, ‘Let’s look at this movie, “Apocalypse Now” and “Deer Hunter” and “Elephant Man” and “Raging Bull,” ‘ all these movies, when I was between the ages of 12 to 14. It was crazy. He just wanted to share his love of cinema.”

It was his father who began Bradley’s love for film and caused him to become inspired to act. The Burnt star reflects on the impact one movie, in particular, had on him. His father, Charles Cooper, showed him the 1980 movie The Elephant Man when he was 12-years-old. Cooper recalls his reaction to the film, as the Mirror recounts.

“It floored me. First of all, I was devastated by it. I couldn’t stop crying.”

Interestingly enough, Cooper’s love for cinema and that movie, itself, has lead to his enormous success as both a big screen actor and a theater actor, seeing as the heartthrob has taken on a lead role in the Broadway production of The Elephant Man.

The 40-year-old actor has been involved in a chain of box office hits within the past decade since sobering up. He has worked on a number of films under the direction of notable director David O. Russell. Such films include American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook. Currently, the most recent film Cooper has starred in under Russell’s direction in Joy, which follows the journey of the Miracle Mop inventor. Teaming up once more with Jennifer Lawrence, the movie is already earning praise.

In addition to his father’s interest in film, Cooper shared how his mother helped out on the set of Joy, as a consultant about QVC, as Cooper was portraying the QVC executive in the film. Bradley spoke with E! News about his mom’s involvement on set.

“She actually was a consultant for David on the movie when he was conceiving it because she’s a huge disciple of QVC. There were QVC packages on the doorstep every time I came home from school. The Miracle Mop I actually took to college. It was very embarrassing. But yeah, mopping was part of the chores that I got. My sister was allocated other things but I was vacuuming and mopping the house.”

The right kind of influence has clearly touched Cooper’s life, from his dad’s encouragement and love for cinema to his mom’s love for the Miracle Mop.

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]