Despite never having set foot onto one of the franchise’s sets in his life, Bradley Cooper was been winning huge praise for his vocal performance as Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and deservedly so.
James Gunn had been open in admitting from the very beginning that the furry critter was always going to be the main character of the titular team’s third and final outing, and even though Cooper’s involvement has always been restricted entirely to the recording booth, it’s hard to disagree that it’s one of the best celebrity voice-only parts to arrive in a long time.
However, the outpouring of adulation on social media that’s been touting it as the best-ever performance of his entire career across all mediums seems to be splitting opinion, which is understandable when the actor, producer, and filmmaker has been nominated for no less than nine Academy Awards in the space of just the last decade, even if he remains empty-handed.
Cooper has landed Best Actor nods for Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper, and A Star is Born, while he was shortlisted in the supporting category for American Hustle. On the other side of the camera, he nabbed Best Picture nominations for American Sniper, A Star Is Born, Joker, and Nightmare Alley as a producer, while his remake of a remake of a remake also made it onto the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay.
That makes him one of the most notorious bridesmaids in the history of the Oscars, but despite racking up so much recognition, he’s yet to win the big one for any of his contributions to cinema. If his best role really is that of an entirely pixelated raccoon, then don’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Published: May 8, 2023 10:41 am