Unless they dive into the credits of the movie, not many people would know that Bradley Cooper served as a producer on 2019’s Joker . The critically-acclaimed film was hailed as one of the best movies of the year and has already earned star Joaquin Phoenix a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award. He is the frontrunner to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor next month, and it all might have something to do with Cooper himself.
Joker editor Jeff Groth caught up with Collider recently and noted how the A Star Is Born actor was instrumental in the final cut of Joker .
“We kept this one pretty close to us. We screened it more personally for people and filmmakers. Bradley Cooper definitely came in a couple of times. He was a producer on the movie, but he definitely watched the movie many times and sat with us. We could call him if we got stuck with something and be like, ‘Hey, can you come over and take a look at things?’” Groth remembered.
By the time Joker came around, Cooper already had several production credits to his name for films including Silver Linings Playbook , American Sniper , American Hustle and Limitless . The 45-year-old worked with Joker director Todd Phillips three times in the past, for each movie in The Hangover trilogy. The two men formed a close friendship that opened the door years later for them to work together on Joker .
It may not have been known at the time, but Phillips and Cooper’s relationship that began all those years ago would lead to success on one of the biggest films in 2019. Groth noted that Cooper was a “huge help” in the editing room and shaped the movie into what viewers saw in theaters.
“[Cooper] doesn’t miss a thing (laughs),” Groth added. “He would watch stuff and he would pick out even some of the smallest things and what are some of the things that he can be picked out for us to address. He was definitely a huge help.”
Upcoming projects for Cooper include Atlantic Wall , Bernstein , Black Flags and an untitled Hulk Hogan biopic, on all of which he serves as a producer. He will also be directing Bernstein , his second time behind the camera, following his debut with A Star is Born . Outside of producing and directing, Cooper will star in Nightmare Alley, which is currently filming. Nightmare Alley features a star-studded cast, including Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Toni Collette. The Guillermo del Toro film is a remake of the 1947 film noir.