Bradley Cooper‘s casting as Jor-El in James Gunn’s Superman, has been one of the major talking points among fans. However, the iconic actor, who has as many as 12 Oscar nominations, was there for a part that was too limited.
But there are a number of reasons Cooper was picked for such a tiny role.
Why Bradley Cooper played Jor-El in Superman
One of the major things to look at when wondering why Bradley Cooper would take on such a small role is Cooper’s working relationship with James Gunn. Over a decade, the two collaborated on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, where Cooper played a pivotal role. So, it is not very surprising that Gunn picked Cooper, and Cooper agreed to work for Gunn.
Another important factor is the history of actors who had taken on this role in previous movies. Though relatively minor in appearance, the role was previously played by actors like Marlon Brando and Russell Crowe. This is enough to see how important the character really is.
But Gunn also had his own convictions regarding Cooper. He explained it in an interview with ET, saying, “Bradley is a friend of mine, and I needed somebody who could play Jor-El … who had the stature of what we imagine that character being. Somebody who could walk in the footsteps of Marlon Brando.”
He continued, “But I also didn’t want to have, you know, a lot of times Jor-El is played by a 70-year-old man. And that means he was 70 when he had a baby, so I wanted somebody that wasn’t, you know, too old. Like everyone was bringing up all these actors that were too old for me. So, I think that Bradley was perfect.”
So, for Gunn, casting a younger actor was pivotal. Bradley Cooper, being his friend, frequent collaborator, and an acclaimed actor, was hence the perfect choice to take on this role.
