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Brad Pitt knew Bradley Cooper was gonna be a star … not because of his Oscar-nominated performances — but because of a more comedic role.
The 60-year-old actor hit the stage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Thursday to give his 49-year-old compadre the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award for his part as Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro” — a movie he also directed and co-wrote.
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It’s a top honor at the event … and it gave BP the opportunity to talk about Cooper’s work through the years — including the moment he knew BC was gonna be big.
“Maestro” is the fifth performance for which Cooper received an acting Academy Award nod BTW … but Pitt didn’t point to any of those performances — instead he heaped praise on Cooper for his role in “The Hangover.”
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Pitt pointed out the subtle intricacies of Cooper’s performance — saying so many of the moments Cooper makes great have very little to do with him … improving the film from the side of the screen in a sense. Pretty impressive for a movie where one of the main characters is a tiger!
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The Oscar-winner didn’t just talk about “The Hangover” though … he also brought up Cooper’s “A Star is Born” performance and direction — noting Cooper somehow balanced emotional drunk acting scenes while also keeping an eye on the crew to make sure he’s getting the perfect shot.
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Brad added, “To do that really, really well is nothing short of perfect.”
Hopefully, the Academy feels the same way … Cooper’s up for Best Actor for his role in the movie at this year’s Oscars — an award he’s 0-for-3 on so far.
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And — if it doesn’t work out — Bradley can always look into making “The Hangover Part IV” … seems like Brad would love it!
