Bradley Cooper opens up about his past struggles with cocaine addiction: I was so lost

Bradley Cooper made his breakthrough as a prominent cast member in Jennifer Garner’s popular espionage thriller series Alias. However, Bradley revealed on Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes’ podcast Smartless that being relegated to a guest star in the show’s third season depressed him, and developed a ‘problem with drugs and alcohol.’

“I was so lost and I was addicted to cocaine — that was the other thing,” Cooper said, adding, “I severed my Achilles tendon right after I got fired-slash-quit Alias” and struggled with “zero self-esteem.” However, Bradley further admitted that he was fortunate that his drug issues occurred while he was still relatively young and was starting his acting career. “I did have the benefit of that happening when I was 29. I thought I made it when I got a Wendy’s commercial. … In terms of the made-it thing, that’s when I made it. But I definitely did not feel, moving to Los Angeles for Alias, feeling like I was back in high school.”

Interestingly, a beloved supporting role in Wedding Crashers and his breakout lead performance in The Hangover helped resurrect his career and propel him to A-list fame. However, Will Arnett, Bradley’s lifelong buddy, believed that confronting his addiction was a necessary ‘metamorphosis’ before launching to prominence with The Hangover. Meanwhile, The Nightmare Alley actor also discussed how his perspective on life altered once he became sober in an interview with GQ in 2013.

“I was doing these movies, and I got to meet Sandra Bullock and meet these people and work with them,” he added at the time. “And I’m sober, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m actually myself. And I don’t have to put on this air to be somebody else.”