Bradley Cooper On ‘American Sniper’ Preps & Getting Chris Kyle’s Approval

Bradley Cooper plays the late Chris Kyle in Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper.”

Chris passed away before the film was finished, and Access Hollywood sat down with Bradley to find out about how he prepped to play the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, and details on their friendship – including the last time the actor spoke to Chris.

“It was one of those things where it’s the conversation that you think you’re going to have a hundred more [of] and so it was very sort of rudimentary. The main thing that I remember is I liked him, I liked the sound of his voice,” Bradley told Access at the “American Sniper” junket. “I was intimidated, I thought, ‘I’m gonna talk to this guy, he’s [got] the most kills of anybody in the military, he’s a Navy Seal, he’s got four tours in Iraq,’ and the minute I got on the phone with him, I liked him right away.

“We actually did connect right away, even though we talked for maybe five minutes,” he continued. “I just basically wanted to import to him that I’m going to do everything I can and whatever [hesitations] you may have, a fear about Hollywood, or what you think people are like, here’s where I’m from, this is the way I am and I’m going to go down this road and do everything I can to pay respect to you and your story. And then we got off and never did I think that that would be the last time I’d talk to him.”

Chris was killed in February 2013, but Bradley said the crew had the soldier’s blessing to take on his story.

“Oh yeah, we had [his approval], oh my gosh, yeah,” he said. “Absolutely.”

Sadly, Chris will never get to see the finished product, but his widow, Taya Kyle, likes the film.

“That’s like everything,” he said, adding that he bonded with the couple’s children. “Their children are luminous. I mean, they’re amazing children, just amazing. Clint and I were both sort of spellbound by them.”

“American Sniper” is in theaters now.

— Erin O’Sullivan