Bradley Cooper struggled with addiction

CEBU, Philippines – Hollywood heartthrob Bradley Cooper talks candidly about his past addictions and how hard it was for him to overcome his father’s death in the January issue of Vanity Fair. All of his hardships, however, have prepared him for his painstaking role in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming “American Sniper,” in which Cooper plays a Navy SEAL sniper.

“Losing someone close to me. Going through love and loss...knowing what’s important,” Cooper says of how the trials and tribulations of life have helped him find himself in Tinseltown. “Realizing that the bottom line is that all I got is me, so it’s about time to stop trying to be something that I think you would want me to be. Or that would give me what I think I need.”

“As you get older, thank God, your body deteriorates, but your soul sort of flourishes,” he says.

Having been sober since 2004, Cooper talks about how he had a choice when it came time to bulk up for his role as the SEAL — he could use a little help from stimulants or he could do it the old fashioned way by working out excessively and eating right. He chose the latter.

“I did it naturally because I’ve been sober for 10 years and didn’t want to do anything,” he says. “I had a realistic conversation. ‘Can I do this in three months naturally? Can I gain 30 pounds of muscle?’ I didn’t know if I would be able to do it or not. Thank God — luckily — my body reacted fast.”

The Oscar-nominated actor also discussed the difficulties of trying to make it in acting, and admitted that he almost threw in the towel while performing on Broadway alongside Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd back in 2006. He has since called his role an “amazing opportunity” and the ultimate turning point in his career. “If this doesn’t work, then I’m not supposed to do this for a living,” he says.

Cooper has gone on to star in “The Hangover,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and let’s not forget one of his beginning roles in the hit show “Alias.” Having quite the accomplished résumé, Cooper revealed that he enjoys being super involved in behind-the-camera aspects of movie making.