Bradley Cooper reflects on a chapter in his early career that he says left him deeply unhappy, despite what should have felt like professional success.
During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the actor opened up about feeling isolated and depressed while living in Los Angeles in his mid-20s, calling the experience “fucking miserable.”
Cooper explained that moving to Los Angeles for work, including an early role in Alias, did not bring him the sense of belonging he once felt in New York.
He said the city’s layout and culture made him feel cut off rather than connected.
“I became very depressed,” Cooper admitted, recalling his state of mind at the time. “I was like, ‘It’s high school again.’”
Having attended graduate school in New York, Cooper described this period as “paradise”, in stark contrast to his time in California.
“Then I get this job that I think will be the Holy Grail, and I’m miserable,” he said. For Cooper, the problem wasn’t the job itself, but the environment around it.
“LA for me was – I think for me at least – it was geography,” he explained, comparing it to the social, pedestrian atmosphere of New York.
He spoke fondly of how places in New York naturally brought people together, saying, “No matter who you are, you go there with a few friends, like you feel like you’re somewhere cool or happening.” »
In Los Angeles, that feeling of energy seemed out of reach.
“LA feels like I’m not at work, I’m on the first floor of the house or in my rental car. And that’s it,” Cooper said.
Even with billboards and posters advertising events across the city, he felt excluded from the excitement, adding that the city felt “compartmentalized.”
This isolation fueled self-doubt.
Cooper remembers feeling like others were enjoying life while he was stuck outside.
“If you’re not in, you’re out,” he said, describing the unspoken pressure he felt. The experience awakened insecurities he hadn’t felt since adolescence.
“And all of a sudden it’s like seventh grade and I’m 25,” he shared, noting the confusion of feeling unhappy even as his career progressed.
Now 51, Cooper’s reflections offer a frank look at how success doesn’t always equate to happiness, especially when personal connection is lacking.
