14 DAY TRIAL // Bradley Cooper has managed to prove to the world that he’s not just a pretty boy, after transforming himself (physically and not only) to play a despicable FBI agent in last year’s “American Hustle.” From paparazzi photos available online, it looks like he’s about to shock us once more.
Rocking curly hair and a slim physique is nothing compared to how he managed to transform himself this time. In the photo above, the actor is seen sporting a ginger beard and about 40 pounds (18.1 kg) of muscle mass, which makes him virtually unrecognizable.
Cooper has gotten ripped before for a movie role (do you remember his six-pack and bulging pecs in “The A-Team”?) but it’s never been as spectacular a transformation as this one. This time, he’s playing Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who had more than 150 confirmed kills throughout his career as a sniper, spanning over a decade.
The film is called “American Sniper,” is directed by Clint Eastwood, and will be coming out sometime next year. It also stars Eric Close, who confirmed for E! News that Cooper’s new look is what he strove to achieve in order to play Kyle.
“He put on like 40 pounds [18.1 kg]. He's really been working hard. He looks great. He's really taken on this character… He really takes this story personally and wants to do an honorable job for Chris' memory and for his family,” Close said.
The aforementioned celebrity publication has another shot of Cooper, this time in workout gear, snapped probably as he was heading to or leaving the gym. Unlike in the photo above, in this one, you can get a better appreciation of the bulging muscles on his arms and chest.
Cooper has been reaping a lot of praise for his most recent work, having smoothly made the transition from “pretty boy” to respectable actor. He was up for two Academy Awards (Oscars) in two consecutive years: in 2013 for Best Actor for “Silver Linings Playbook” and in 2014 for Best Supporting Actor for “American Hustle.”
He didn’t win either, losing to Daniel Day-Lewis and Jared Leto, but he’s determined to keep trying. There’s an old saying in the industry according to which the Academy loves nothing more than a major physical transformation when it comes to considering nominees for an Oscar: if that’s the case, Cooper will be probably getting a lot of love for this one.
And, if the Academy doesn’t show him any love, the ladies probably will.