Bradley Cooper Reflects on Being ‘Addicted to Cocaine’ and ‘Depressed’ in His 20s

Looking back. Bradley Cooper reflected on being “addicted to cocaine” and “depressed” in his 20s.

The A Star is Born actor, 47, had a tough conversation about his past while joining Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes for the Monday, June 13, episode of their podcast, “Smartless.” During the episode, Bradley opened up about when he realized how “lost” he felt early on in his career.

The discussion began when Bradley recalled being 29 and having a conversation with his longtime friend Will, 52, about his acerbic sense of humor.

The Hangover star said he had “zero self-esteem” at the time, adding that he felt his mean jokes and sarcasm weren’t offensive. “I didn’t think I was hurting anybody, because how could I if I was worthless?” he said.

“I was so lost … and I was addicted to cocaine, you know, that was the other thing,” Bradley continued. The Pennsylvania native added that he’d also “severed my Achilles tendon” right after leaving Alias in 2003, which added to his emotional turmoil.

Bradley then recalled moving to Los Angeles when he booked the role of Will Tippin on Alias. While he only appeared as a main character in the first two seasons, he had a recurring role in season 3 and appeared as a special guest on the final season.

The Oscar-nominated actor said his first years in Los Angeles made him feel like he was “back in high school.” He explained, “I could not get into any clubs, no girls wanted to look at me. I was totally depressed. It wasn’t really until The Hangover, and I was 36 when I did The Hangover.“

“So I got to go through all those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level,” Bradley said. “So all that happened before any of that.”

He went on to credit Will for a conversation that he thinks allowed him his first moments of self-realization, leading him to change his behavior.

“I definitely made major breakthroughs at 29 to 33, 34, where at least I was able to stand in front of somebody and breathe and listen and talk,” Bradley said.

“It’s been awesome seeing you in this place and seeing you comfortable. Nothing has made me happier,” the Arrested Development alum shared with Bradley. “It’s made me happy seeing you so happy with who you are.”

The Nightmare Alley actor added that raising his daughter, Lea, with ex Irina Shayk has helped him stay on track in his journey for self-improvement. “Every single thing is absolutely shaded by or brought out in glorious color by the fact that I get to be a father to a wonderful human being,” he said. “It is just the absolute greatest thing.”