As Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, Cooper struggled with the decision to spare an innocent young boy's life or save a bunch of people from explosion.
- Oct 3, 2014
AceShowbiz - Bradley Cooper is faced with tremendous dilemma in "American Sniper". The first trailer of the drama directed by Clint Eastwood opens with a long scene where Cooper is given the choice whether or not to shoot a young boy with a grenade in his hands.
Cooper plays Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, a Texas native who came to record the highest number of sniper kills for an American. The trailer also gives glimpses into his personal life including his wedding day and the day his wife gave birth to their daughter. All of these contributed to his decision in killing subjects.
"Even though it was actors through the scope, they were human beings. It was a whole other deal. I remember getting a chill through my body realizing what he had to do," Cooper said of Kyle who was credited with 160 confirmed kills during his military service.
Cooper put on 40 pounds to do the role and trained with Navy SEALs who worked with Kyle. He even made a personal phone call to Kyle before the latter's death in February 2013. "It was a very quick conversation. But I did tell him how serious I was about making this movie. And he should just know that whatever fears he had about Hollywood, to just put them aside and trust me. That I was going to do everything I could to tell this story," Cooper said.
Screenwriter Jason Hall adapted Kyle's memoir for the film. "There is an heroic sense of completion to his story. He was a man who fought like hell for nearly a decade of war, then had to fight equally hard to get home. I found this struggle to be beautiful and complete," said Hall.
"American Sniper" opens December 25 on limited U.S. theaters.
