UNITED KINGDOM: Bradley Cooper and Anna Friel walk the red carpet at the UK premiere of Limitless

Record ID: 219109

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Bradley Cooper and Anna Friel walk the red carpet at the UK premiere of Limitless
  • Date: 14th March 2011
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 11, 2011) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR BRADLEY COOPER SAYING: Cooper says, "Absolutely." Interviewer says, "Would you take such a pill?" Cooper says, "Yeah. Yeah. In an instant... Yeah. If it's FDA approved." ACTRESS ANNA FRIEL ARRIVES AND MEETS UP WITH COOPER COOPER AND FRIEL PHOTOGRAPHED
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2011 13:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom, United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA46BQ24Q0TVJ02GBK31AATLXZW
  • Story Text: Actor Bradley Cooper, star of 'The Hangover', attended the special preview premiere of his new paranoia-fuelled action thriller, 'Limitless', on Friday evening (March 11) in London, and was joined later by co-star, actress Anna Friel. The film, directed by Neil Burger, also co-stars Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish and Johnny Whitworth.
    The story follows aspiring author Eddie Morra (Cooper) who is suffering writer's block. His life changes when he meets his ex-brother-in-law (Whitworth) on the street who gives him NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical drug that allows him to tap into his full potential. Being able to recall everything he's ever see, read or heard, and learning new information and languages on the fly, Eddie can understand complex equations and beguile anyone he meets -- as long as he keeps taking the drug.
    Eddie takes Wall Street by storm, and begins making millions of dollars. His achievements catch the eye of tycoon Carl Van Loon (De Niro), who invites him to help broker the largest merger in corporate history.
    Meanwhile, all the attention also catches the eye of others who will do anything to get their hands on the 'smart' pills, too. With his life in danger, and the trying to combat the drug's brutal side effects that have also taken their toll on his ex-wife, Melissa (Friel), Eddie dodges mysterious stalkers, a vicious Russian gangster and an intense police investigation, as he attempts to hold onto his NZT to outwit his enemies and get his life on course.
    This was a demanding lead role for Cooper. Asked whether he had any anxieties about playing Eddie, or had made the right choices, like his character, he said:
    "You can't really second guess because once you go for it, you gotta just trudge through. But trudge is an interesting word. I didn't really feel like I was trudging. It felt right. I mean it felt organic. But I guess the result will really determine whether I made the right choices or not. Certainly made the right choice doing the movie -- that's for sure -- because the script was great," said Cooper.
    So, like Eddie, would the actor take a 'super' drug like NZT to improve his life and luck, if offered it?
    "Yeah. Yeah. In an instant... Yeah. If it's FDA approved," joked Cooper.
    The actor said one of his dreams came true as he got the chance to work with De Niro -- as a big fan of the iconic actor. But did Cooper feel at all intimidated by acting opposite him, and in a lot of confrontational situations in the film:
    "You know I wasn't, only because I had so much communication with him [Robert De Niro], prior to the first day of shooting. So, I got it out of my system, so by the time we were actually on set, I realised at that point that he's a human being, number one, and that he's a hell of a nice guy. And in fact, those two weeks that he worked, I savoured. Every time we had to do another take, I was secretly cheering, that I had another shot at working with him. He's just a wonderful guy," says Cooper.
    Cooper also caught up with award-winning 'Pushing Daisies' star Friel on the night, having not seen her since filming 'Limitless'.
    On the subject of filming the sequel to the hit comedy, 'The Hangover', called 'The Hangover Part II' (out this Summer), Cooper was asked whether former President Bill Clinton or De Niro was more intimidating to act opposite, as it was rumoured at the end of last year (People.com) that Clinton had joined the cast of 'The Hangover 2'.
    "Ah, oh, I see. Interesting question. Well, I was never part of the ex-President's cabinet, nor did I work in the office while he was there, so, I have no precedent... He's not in it... No, of course not. No, of course not. He came and visited [the] set when he was in Bangkok, and then that got completely blown out of proportion. Yeah," says Cooper.
    Cooper starred in the top-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, 'The Hangover' in 2009, and is also starring in Part II, the sequel, due out on 26 May in the USA and the following day in the UK. Earlier in 2009, Cooper also starred in 'New York, I Love You', the American version of the acclaimed 'Paris, Je T'aime'.
    Cooper was recently seen in Joe Carnahan's 'The A-Team', a feature film adaptation of the beloved 1980s TV series, playing Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck opposite Liam Neeson. His other roles include 'Yes Man', 'All About Steve', 'Wedding Crashers' and 2001 cult classic, 'Wet Hot American Summer', opposite Janeane Garofalo and Paul Rudd.
    Friel is one of the few British actresses who has managed to maintain a glittering stage and screen career on both sides of the Atlantic. She recently played a pirate queen in Ireland for RHI's US/UK TV production of 'Neverland', opposite Rhys Ifans and Bob Hoskins.
    Friel also starred in William Monahan's 'London Boulevard' with Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley, as well as in Woody Allen's 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger' with Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins and Josh Brolin.
    Friel's critically acclaimed ABC series 'Pushing Daisies' earned her a 2008 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy and People's Choice Award for Favourite New TV Comedy.
    'Limitless' is due for release on 18 March in the US, and a week later on 23 March in the UK.
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