Bradley Cooper says he didn’t know if he ‘loved’ his daughter for the first eight months of her life

Actor shares a six-year-old daughter with Russian model Irina Shayk

Bradley Cooper has opened up about fatherhood in a new interview, revealing that he initially was not sure if he “loved” his daughter.

Cooper welcomed daughter Lea de Seine with his then partner, Russian model Irina Shayk, in 2017. He and Shayk separated two years later.

The 49-year-old Hangover actor is currently nominated for three Oscars – for writing, producing and starring in the 2023 Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro. During an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast to promote the film, Cooper discussed the early months of his daughter’s life.

“The first eight months — I don’t even know if I really love the kid,” he said. “It’s dope. It’s cool. I’m watching this thing morph.”

“That’s my experience,” Cooper continued. “Fascinated by it. Loved taking care of it. But would I die if someone came in with a gun?”

Cooper went on to explain that he underwent a realisation a few months into her life, recalling that “all of a sudden, it’s like no question”.

Bradley Cooper and Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper at a special screening of ‘Maestro’ (Getty Images for Netflix)

“I’m not sure I’d be alive if I wasn’t a dad,” he continued. “I just needed someone to say, like, ‘We’re gonna drop this massive anchor. I’m like, ‘Why? We’re speeding! I just got an upgrade on the boat, and I know where the wind’s coming in.’ They’re like, ‘No, no, no, there’s a tsunami coming in, and you need an anchor and we’re gonna drop it.’

“Because this is gonna dictate everything you do from now on. Your DNA is going to tell you that there’s something more important than you.”

In Maestro, Cooper plays Bernstein, the revered classical conductor and composer of West Side Story. Carey Mulligan, meanwhile, plays Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre. Mulligan, 38, has also received an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress for her role.

In another recent interview that went viral, Cooper was seen becoming visibly emotional as he discussed Bernstein’s death, while sat next to the music icon’s children.

Asked if he “missed” Bernstein – whom Cooper had never met – the actor replied: “Oh yeah, man.”

Bradley Cooper in ‘Maestro’ (© 2022 Netflix, Inc.)

“It’s hard to talk about,” he told the Bernstein children. “I don’t know, we, the four of us [Cooper and Bernstein’s three children], shared something very special, it’s hard to even articulate.”

Referring to the filming of Maestro, Cooper continued: “He was with me, certainly, throughout the entire time. His energy has somehow found its way to me, and I really do feel like I know him,” Cooper added.

Bernstein, a long-time smoker, died of a heart attack caused by progressive lung failure in 1990. He was 72 years old.

Maestro is available to stream now on Netflix.