The Real Reason Bradley Cooper Was Once Jealous Of Leonardo DiCaprio

Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio are two of Hollywood's brightest stars. Both have appeared in some of the industry's biggest blockbusters and award-winning dramas. While DiCaprio has starred in films like "Titanic," "The Departed," and "The Revenant," Cooper's made a name for himself thanks to starring roles in "The Silver Linings Playbook," "American Sniper," and "The Hangover" trilogy.

Cooper became a tour de force both in front of and behind the camera following the 2018 remake of "A Star is Born," which marked the actor's directorial debut. Per Deadline, as of this writing, Cooper is busy working on his second directorial effort, Netflix's Leonard Bernstein flick "Maestro."

While Cooper and DiCaprio have never actually starred on-screen together, off-camera they're good friends — but that wasn't always the case. Apparently, Cooper was envious of DiCaprio's success early on his career. In a series of interviews, Cooper has opened up about why DiCaprio once made him jealous and his own insecurities he feels as a star.

It seems "Titanic" might have been at least partially to blame for Bradley Cooper's jealous feelings toward Leonardo DiCaprio. In an interview with the now-defunct ShortList magazine (via Cosmopolitan), Cooper reflected on his early career, revealing that, at one point, he envied DiCaprio's early success. During his younger years, instead of living the life of a Hollywood star, Cooper found himself working in a hotel instead.

While working as a doorman during grad school, Cooper was tasked with escorting DiCaprio to his hotel room. He discussed his thoughts at the time with the outlet, saying, "I remember taking Leonardo DiCaprio up to his room, and I was in the elevator with him and, like, seven of his friends. It was around the time of 'Titanic.'" He added, "And I remember this guy who looked like a kid, even though we were about the same age, he looked like a little boy. I remember thinking how I was three feet away from this guy, and we were worlds apart." 

Fast forward a couple decades, and Cooper and DiCaprio are seemingly quite chummy. Per Metro, their friendship dates back to 2013. It's a friendship that continues to this day, and it seems safe to say that Cooper has likely let bygones be bygones when it comes to the jealousy he once felt.

Even though, these days, Bradley Cooper is an A-list star in his own right, he still struggles with his share of insecurities. In a virtual sit-down with Mahershala Ali for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Cooper opened up about how he funneled his own emotions into the role of charismatic con man Stanton Carlisle in "Nightmare Alley." Ironically enough, it's a role Leonardo DiCaprio was originally going to play.

"'Nightmare Alley' was an interesting example of how insecure I am," he told Ali. "I was like, 'Oh, I guess I still am the guy that wants to be in the group,' because I had no intention of acting in anything other than what I've been writing." He continued, "Leonardo DiCaprio fell out, and Guillermo del Toro came to me. I still remember thinking, 'Oh, wow, the guys that don't hire me, they want to hire me?' And then it was like, 'Of course, I have to do it just because I've never been allowed into that group.' It was insecurity and ego."

Cooper may be a Hollywood star, but he's still human after all.