Bradley Cooper and his breakthrough with "American Sniper"

For his role as a veteran in American Sniper (2014), Bradley Cooper earned his third consecutive Oscar nomination, following Silver Lingings Playbook and American Hustle. This was also the first time The Hangover actor worked with director Clint Eastwood, the 85-year-old filmmaker, a four-time Oscar winner and director of Unforgiven (1992), The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).

“Playing American Sniper was a life-changing experience for me, absolutely,” the romantic comedy star confirmed.

Movie about the fate of America's best sniper

The script for American Sniper is based on the autobiography of the late soldier Chris Kyle. The original autobiography is fully titled American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History. According to the memoir, Chris Kyle was born in Texas and was a cowboy who rode bulls in carnivals. When the Iraq War broke out, Chris Kyle enlisted at the age of 25. Before going to Iraq, he had a whirlwind romance and then married Taya Renae. On his first mission in Iraq, he shot dead a mother and her young son who were trying to attack his comrades with grenades.

Bradley Cooper plays US veteran Chris Kyle in “American Sniper”.

From 2003 to 2009, Chris Kyle went to Iraq on four long tours of duty, while his wife stayed home to raise their two young children. On the battlefield, Chris was a legendary sniper, capable of taking down enemies from a distance of 800 meters. After 6 years, Kyle was recognized as the most lethal sniper in the history of the US military. Returning home, the veteran faced the challenge of reintegrating into society. Finally, Chris died unexpectedly in tragic circumstances in 2013, just after completing his autobiography.

"American Sniper changed my life"

Bradley Cooper confided about the character Chris Kyle: “The role was a life-changing experience for me. This role was not a goal but a mission, I was very nervous because I didn't know if I could do it. At first, I had many sleepless nights because I was so excited about the responsibility I had to carry in the film. When I finished filming, I went through the role with great results and found myself stronger, whether the film was successful or failed with the audience, I still gained a lot from it."

Producer and screenwriter Jason Hall shared that Bradley Cooper ate continuously to gain 18kg, helping him to be almost as fat as the original. “He ate every 55 minutes or an hour, about 8,000 calories a day.” About three months before filming, Bradley Cooper woke up at 5am every day, went for a run, and then spent 2.5 hours exercising.

During a year of preparation for the role, Bradley Cooper visited Chris Kyle’s home and got to know his family to understand the character. The star studied with military experts on battlefield manners and snipers, and learned how to use guns. “I immersed myself in the character mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically and in the living space before officially going to the set to film. I had to become the character before letting that character come out on screen through the story,” said the actor.

Bradley Cooper gets into character and feels satisfied with the results in "American Sniper".

The Hangover actor's most profound role

Bradley Cooper commented on the film: “This is more of a psychological film than an Iraq war film. There is no political element to it. It is a human story, going deep into the character and showing the crises that a veteran goes through.”

When it was released widely in North America on January 16, American Sniper earned $90 million in revenue in its opening week, equivalent to the opening revenue of a blockbuster like The Amazing Spider Man in 2013. The psychological work set four records at the same time: the highest-grossing January release of all time, the highest-grossing R-rated release of all time, the highest-grossing debut of a Clint Eastwood film, and the highest-grossing Oscar-nominated film release of all time.

“American Sniper is Bradley Cooper’s film. This is the most psychologically profound role the actor has ever played,” commented Screen Daily. Meanwhile, the original wife said about Bradley Cooper’s performance: “The film is authentic because Bradley has soul. He absorbs all the emotions that a soldier like Chris goes through and makes me feel that he is Chris.”

Brent Gleeson, a former Navy SEAL and Chris Kyle's teammate in real life, commented: "There were times when I forgot whether I was watching Bradley Cooper or Chris Kyle on screen. Bradley Cooper did a great job honoring veterans."

A quick wedding scene at the beginning of the movie "American Sniper".

In the eyes of experts, American Sniper is considered a continuation of the war stories that Hollywood has made in the past 40 years such as The Hurt Locker, Born on the Fourth of July, or Flags of our Fathers. "This is the missing piece of the Iraq war story that The Hurt Locker was missing," Todd McCarthy wrote in The Hollywood Reporter.

“Only Clint Eastwood could make a veteran film with so much doubt and inner turmoil,” Joshua Rothkopf wrote in Time Out New York. Boston Globe wrote: “God, family and country are all in American Sniper.” The film was ranked by the American Society of Film Critics as one of the top 10 films of 2014. However, the film was also criticized for its extreme view of the American war in Iraq, instead of simply depicting the lives of soldiers.

American Sniper also surpassed many other works, reaching 6 nominations at the 87th Oscars, including "Best Picture", "Best Actor", "Best Adapted Screenplay", "Best Film Editing", "Best Sound Editing", and "Best Sound Mixing".

With a different role, Bradley Cooper is competing with four other colleagues, including veteran star Michael Keaton and British talent Eddie Redmayne, for the chance to step up to the podium to receive the golden statue this year.

According to VNE