Did Bradley Cooper just throw shade at Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer?
Bradley Cooper has accidentally triggered a tempest in a teapot with his recent comments seemingly directed towards Cillian Murphy, and the internet is having a field day.
It all went down during Cooper's appearance on Variety's Actors on Actors interview series, where he and Emma Stone engaged in the topic of how much time it takes to prepare for a movie, with Cooper's upcoming role as American composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro being a focal point.
Fans speculated that Cooper may have taken a subtle dig at Cillian Murphy, particularly in reference to Murphy's role as American physicist J Robert Oppenheimer and his chances of winning the Best Actor Oscar for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
Cooper remarked,
In the eyes of vigilant fans, Cooper's words weren't just an innocent discussion about the creative process - they were a calculated strike at none other than Murphy.
“there’s just no way this wasn’t like uh you got a call and then in 6 months you’re gonna do it” this subtle oppenheimer shade cillian get behind me pic.twitter.com/lZoWo1CWMI
— timothèe chalamet’s bad PR strategy (@bey0ncebeytwice) December 9, 2023
Fans noticed that when Cooper said, "This had to have taken years," he wasn't just talking about the gestation period of a Hollywood project; he seem to have throwing shade at Murphy's six months of Oppenheimer research. The timing of this statement aligns with the reported six months Murphy spent researching the role of the theoretical physicist.
I don’t see this as shade on Cillian Murphy. And I love Bradley Cooper. But just in case it is, let’s just leave here Daniel Day-Lewis’s touching explanation for why he does things the way he does: “Because I’m not a good enough actor to do it any other way.” https://t.co/FFlyu6u8EH
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) December 10, 2023
Twitter speculates Cooper's delicate ego can't handle the possibility that Murphy might snatch the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Oppenheimer, while Cooper passionately vies for the same award with his portrayal of Bernstein in Maestro.
“there’s just no way this wasn’t like uh you got a call and then in 6 months you’re gonna do it” this subtle oppenheimer shade cillian get behind me pic.twitter.com/lZoWo1CWMI
— timothèe chalamet’s bad PR strategy (@bey0ncebeytwice) December 9, 2023
The Internet quickly turned into a platform of discontent towards the sly remark.
It’s takes Bradley Cooper years to get that mid ass performance but it takes Cillian Murphy to give the best performance of the decade pic.twitter.com/W8RSVGVpsB
— PeakyLOTR (@BrockMorrison19) December 9, 2023
Some users speculated about Cooper's Oscar aspirations, linking it to his history of near misses at the awards. He has been snubbed nine times across various categories, including acting, directing, and screenplay.
my dad once said that no one in the history of movies wants an Oscar more than Bradley Cooper and it's probably the most accurate statement ever https://t.co/eKopZifmYO
— Will (@SilentDawnLB) December 9, 2023
Another suggested that the oversight for a Best Director nomination for his debut directorial venture, A Star is Born, may have impacted Cooper deeply.
I’m probably reaching here, but these feel like cheap shots at Cillian Murphy and that’s just unprofessional 😒 pic.twitter.com/m9GIoeQHqq
— Adriano Caporusso 🎄🧑🎄 (@AdriCaporusso) December 10, 2023
While the fan speculation may be viewed as a stretch, there is acknowledgment of Cooper's legitimate Oscar ambitions. The competition for the lead actor category this year is tough, featuring a plethora of other acclaimed biopic stars like Colman Domingo, Adam Driver, Joaquin Phoenix, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
To know more about the race to the Oscars and Oscar patterns, have a look at: How To Win An Oscar