He explained that prior to The Hangover, he had already been “in the game for 10 years just bangin’ around.” So he was fortunate, “I didn’t get lost in fame.”
However, that didn’t stop him from having “some wild years” prior to reaching celebrity status.
“In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah. But that had nothing to do with fame, though,” he said. “But I was lucky, y’know? I got sober at 29 years old. And I’ve been sober for 19 years.”
The Maestro star previously discussed hitting “rock bottom” on the Smartless podcast, hosted by Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes.
In 2004, Arnett stopped by Cooper’s place and noticed he still hadn’t let the dogs out to go to the bathroom.
“That was the first time I ever realized I had a problem with drugs and alcohol,” Cooper said. “It was Will saying that to me, I’ll never forget it… It changed my entire life.”
Cooper recalled having “zero self esteem” and being “so lost,” especially after he “got fired-slash-quit Alias.”
Despite the struggles, Cooper said his former life as an addict helped him play Jackson Maine in 2018’s A Star is Born.
“It made it easier to really enter in there,” Cooper said. “And thank goodness I was at a place in my life where I was at ease with all that. So I could really let myself go.”
