Bradley Cooper and Jonah Hill Go for the Gold…Statuette
The past few years have been good to New School for Drama alumnus Bradley Cooper (MFA Acting ’00) and former Eugene Lang College student Jonah Hill, with accolades stacking up.
For Cooper there was, of course, the recognition by People as the “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2011. The magazine noted that in addition to his good looks, his fluent French and motorcycle helped him top the charts. Then, in 2013, the Academy Awards nominated him for Best Actor for his work in Silver Linings Playbook starring alongside a feisty Jennifer Lawrence. Now he’s repeated the feat with a nomination for this year’s Best Supporting Actor for American Hustle.
Cooper, who plays an at-times naïve FBI agent in the film loosely based on the ABSCAM operation in the late 1970s, garnered critical acclaim for his performance. The New York Daily News called him “terrific” and The New Yorker noted how Cooper has really “come into his own” as an actor. He has also starred in The Place Beyond The Pines, Limitless, and The Hangover series.
Hill was also nominated this year in the same category as Cooper for his role as a corrupt and party-loving stockbroker alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the Wolf of Wall Street. Perhaps most known for his comedic chops since his portrayal as an eager high school student in the highly memorable Superbad, Hill’s more recent roles—including his performance in Moneyball in 2011, for which he was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor—add a new dimension to his already-formidable acting skills.
There’s still time to see Cooper and Hill’s latest comedic dramas; the Oscars don’t air until March 2.
See all the Academy Award nominations here: http://oscar.go.com/nominees.