Bradley Cooper is fast finding a mentor in screen legend Robert De Niro, whom he has admired since he was a student at drama school. Both actors rubbed shoulders when they starred together in the 2011 thriller Limitless, and they were reunited once again this week to inaugurate their latest collaboration, Silver Linings Playbook.
Bradley's ease around the Hollywood veteran was obvious, with the Hangover actor placing a friendly hand on his co-star's shoulder as they chatted in the company of Robert's wife Grace Hightower. Their leisurely badinage was a world away from the first time the two shared the same air. Down-to-earth Bradley likely remembers his time at the prestigious Actors Studio Drama School, where archive footage showed him as an unknown student tentatively watching his idol's interview from the audience. Fast forward a few years and that same star-struck wannabe from Philadelphia has the lead role opposite the man himself in Silver Linings Playbook – a comedy-drama where Bradley plays a mental health patient trying to reconnect with his family. The movie also features Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence, who also turned out for the premiere.
One lady who was missing from proceedings was Bradley Cooper's rumoured girlfriend, Avatar star Zoe Saldana. The couple enjoyed a short and intense three month romance after falling in love on the set of The Words. They split a few months later before being reunited at their film's Los Angeles premiere. Shortly after their shared work commitment, both were spotted cuddling during a romantic trip to the cinema, fuelling rumours that their romance was very much back on. Neither party has confirmed the status of their relationship.
Since making his mark in Hollywood, everybody wants to know who Bradley Cooper's leading lady is. The heart-throb was briefly married to Blue Bloods actress, Jennifer Esposito, but the couple divorced after just a few months. "It just wasn't right. It's interesting...things happen," he said of the separation. He later dated Renee Zellweger, and was linked to Olivia Wilde and Jennifer Lopez after splitting from the Bridget Jones actress.
