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Bradley Cooper On Reinvention And Hair In 'American Hustle'

Bradley Cooper (left) as FBI Agent Richie DiMaso in the film, "American Hustle." Christian Bale, (right) as conman Irving Rosenfeld. (Sony Pictures)
Bradley Cooper (left) as FBI Agent Richie DiMaso in the film, "American Hustle." Christian Bale, (right) as conman Irving Rosenfeld. (Sony Pictures)

The film “American Hustle” has garnered seven Golden Globe nominations.

It’s loosely based on a real sting in the 1970s dubbed “Abscam,” in which FBI Agents paid conman Mel Weinberg to help them entrap public officials for corrupt dealings.

The film version stars Christian Bale as the conman, now Irving Rosenfeld, Amy Adams as his partner in crime and Bradley Cooper as FBI agent Richie DiMaso.

Many reviews have noted the role hair has played in the movie. Cooper curled his own hair for the role — which he described as “a three hour ordeal.”

But as Cooper tells Here & Now’Robin Young, the hair is more than just a sight gag.

“The whole movie is about reinvention. How do you con yourself to get through life?” Cooper said. “Richie does it by living in a shotgun apartment with his mother and curling his own hair. But the truth is he has these dreams, these aspirations of being this FBI mogul who will take down white collar crime. So he tried to reinvent himself in order to be the man who he wants to be.”

[Youtube]

Guest

  • Bradley Cooper, actor. His latest film is “American Hustle.” His other films include “Silver Linings Playbook” and “The Hangover.”

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