Bradley Cooper Opened Up About His Unique Approach to Fatherhood

While he's no stranger to talking about his craft, it's rare for Bradley Cooper to offer any insight into his personal life — and even more unexpected when he drops a tidbit about being a father. During the latest episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge, however, Cooper does just that (and isn't it appropriate that he does it on a show that involves rappelling across a ravine?) as well as getting frank about his sobriety.

Cooper explained to host Bear Grylls, as reported by Entertainment Tonight, that his approach to being a dad involves looking back at the things his own father did and learning from those "mistakes" — and knowing that his own fatherhood journey will involve plenty of mistakes, too. Cooper and his ex, model Irina Shayk, welcomed a daughter together six years ago. Even though they're no longer together, the two co-parent Lea De Seine.

"I mean, you learn from your predecessor’s mistakes and I’ll make tons that hopefully Lea will learn from and then being rigorous with myself to grow," he said. "To help unburden her with any of my bullshit."

"That’s one of the best things you can do for Lea, isn’t it?" Grylls asked the actor.

"And for me," Cooper added. "It’s for me, too. It just makes life much better."

While reflecting on his early years of fame, Cooper explained that his decision to become sober at age 29 helped him embody one of his most memorable roles, Jackson Maine from A Star Is Born.

"The Hangover was pretty career changing," he said when Grylls asked him about his "wild" years. "I was 36 when that happened, so I was already in the game for 10 years just banging around, so I didn’t get lost in fame. In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah, but nothing to do with fame, though. But I was lucky. I got sober at 29 years old, and I've been sober for 19 years. I've been very lucky."

His experience with addiction helped him get deep into the mind and role of Maine, he noted. 

"It made it easier to be able to really enter in there," Cooper shared. "And thank goodness I was at a place in my life where I was at ease with all of that, so I could really let myself go. I've been very lucky with the roles I've had to play. It’s been a real blessing. I hope I get to keep doing it."