Bradley Cooper plays the Elephant Man without make-up and it is the most impressive piece of acting that I have ever seen.
Everything seems to be going extremely well for Bradley Cooper. His career has been skyrocketing since the smash hit comedy The Hangover. Since then, Bradley Cooper has become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Cooper is currently nominated for his first Academy Award for his depiction of solitary sniper, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in American Sniper. Recently, Bradley Cooper has decided to take a break from Hollywood and to star as the lead character in the Broadway play, The Elephant Man.
Bradley Cooper plays Joseph Merrick, a man who suffers from severe disfigurement but becomes an object of curiosity in London.
But, the craziest part of the story is that Bradley Cooper plays Merrick without any make-up or special effects.
So how does Bradley Cooper play Joseph Merrick without make-up? Cooper says he becomes the character.
The real life Merrick had enlarged feet, hip damage, and an abnormally shaped head. Bradley Cooper told CBS’s 60 Minutes that,
“[he does it] by believing I’m him. That’s how I do it. If I’m acting like I’m him or I don’t quite make that leap of faith, there’s absolutely no way you’re going to make it. I had to do a tremendous amount of work to get to the place where I do believe I’m him.”
At the beginning of the play, Bradley Cooper stands shirtless while a physician describes the various physical deformities from which Merrick suffers. Bradley Cooper begins to imitate each deformity as they are being announced to the audience. He say, “If I don’t make that leap in that moment, the rest of the play’s not going to work.”
Critics are calling him one of the best actors on Broadway. But, despite being critically acclaimed, he remains a very modest guy. Later in the interview he says:
You know I always sort of talk about – to myself at least, or to my friends, about wanting to keep life very simple. I’ve found it most simple here in New York. You know, it’s basically I have a, in a way, a 9-to-5 job, you know?
I do eight shows a week. I live in New York City. I get to walk everywhere, and you know, just be one of the people of the city. And it’s actually wonderful.”
Watch Bradley Cooper talk about his inspiration for playing Joseph Merrick in the Broadway adaptation of The Elephant Man.
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