ENT E R T A I N M ENT
“For me, Alan is one of the most incredible creations of a comedic character in decades”
Cooper has shown the ability to switch between serious roles and humorous ones with ease. It is a gift that has seen him transcend to superstar status. Recently reprising his role in the third instalment of the Hangover franchise as loveable trouble magnet Phil Wennock, the actor insists fame hasn’t changed his work ethic or his dynamic with the rest of the cast. “There’s no ownership at all and it feels more like a communal endeavor,” he says. “When we’re all filming and attacking a scene, it really is the four of us and that is what makes it so special. Ideas are thrown and shared, and while it all started in the first one, it manifested itself in a more economical way in the third.” Far from boasting about his own role, Cooper claims co-star, Zach Galifianakis steals the show. “For me, Alan (played by Zach)
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is one of the most incredible creations of a comedic character in decades. The fact that this story revolves around just who the heck this guy is, and how can we tame the beast was a wonderful choice that as a director Todd Phillips made and hopefully one that the audience wants to see. I think it will be because this time, there is no more lost night or inebriated devastation. It’s more let’s take care of our friend.” With an established history of playing a wide variety of characters from a charismatic action hero in The A-Team to roles in movies such as star-studded romance Valentine’s Day, Cooper admits the wacky props and scenes in the Hangover III certainly made for a new kind of experience on set and helped enhance the overall comedy in the movie. “I couldn’t tell you what the weirdest moment on set was, there were so many,” he laughs. “Was it the baby in the closet? Was it the monkey in the thing? No, it wasn’t that. Was it the decapitated giraffe?” With joviality came a close knit cast who marked the final Hangover film in a somewhat low key manner compared to the debauched antics portrayed on screen. Always grounded, Cooper says of the last day of shooting Hangover III: “We were conscious about not making it a big deal, very conscious. There was no clapping or anything, we had a nice little party on stage at Warner Brothers but that was it.”