Bradley Cooper: What made him return to Broadway
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
As his performance in the upcoming film 鈥淎merican Sniper鈥� is garnering Oscar buzz, 鈥�American Hustle鈥� actor Bradley Cooper has returned to Broadway for a production of 鈥淭he Elephant Man.鈥�
Cooper has starred in comedies such as the 2001 film 鈥�Wet Hot American Summer,鈥� 2005鈥檚 鈥�Wedding Crashers,鈥� and the 2009 box office hit 鈥�The Hangover鈥� and earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor for the 2012 film 鈥�Silver Linings Playbook.鈥� He earned his second Oscar nod last year for the 2013 film 鈥淎merican Hustle,鈥� that time in the category of Best Supporting Actor.聽
The actor has appeared in Broadway before in a 2006 production of the play 鈥淭hree Days of Rain,鈥� which also starred Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. Cooper told that his new show, 鈥淭he Elephant Man,鈥� was particularly a passion project for him.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe it,鈥� he said of the show. 鈥淎t the Booth Theater where it originated, playing a guy that is the reason I became an actor鈥� it was that movie, when I was a kid. 鈥楾he Elephant Man.鈥� John Hurt. That was the crystallized moment, where I thought,聽鈥極h, I really need to do this for a living.鈥欌�� Hurt earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the 1980 film.
鈥淓lephant鈥� opened on Dec. 7 and co-stars Patricia Clarkson of 鈥淭he Maze Runner" and "Selma" actor Alessandro Nivola.
So far, Cooper has received mainly positive reviews, with critic Alexis Soloski writing that the actor鈥檚 鈥減ortrayal at first seems tiresomely showy, the kind of acting that demands the audience acknowledge and applaud each drop of sweat trickling from the thespian brow. But after a scene or two, he settles into the part and he settles in very nicely鈥� If Cooper doesn鈥檛 eclipse John Hurt in David Lynch鈥檚 film version, he gives a bravura performance and occasionally quite a moving one. He might as well clear trophy space on his mantel now.鈥�
critic David Rooney agreed, calling Cooper鈥檚 performance 鈥渢remendously moving.鈥�
鈥淗is performance is staggering in its physical discipline, its piercing emotional transparency and, most surprisingly, its restraint,鈥� Rooney wrote.聽
critic Marilyn Stasio found that 鈥淏radley Cooper鈥� may well be the most beautiful feature [of the play] of all鈥� It鈥檚 a stunning performance, deeply felt and very moving.鈥�
