In this article: Why he's hot now

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Confessions of a Rising Star: Bradley Cooper

By Brian Truitt

Bradley Cooper may be many things, including star of the summer blockbuster "The Hangover," and Sandra Bullock's co-star in the upcoming romantic comedy "All About Steve." But most interesting is the fact that the rising star is shamelessly, refreshingly candid.

About an old high school crush whom he cites by name, Bradley, 34, muses, "Well, maybe it never died." For the record, the single actor seems to be doing OK: He was spotted dining out this summer with both Renee Zellweger and Jennifer Aniston.

On losing out to fellow Hollywood hunk Ryan Reynolds (and Bullock's previous co-star) for the superhero lead in 2011's "Green Lantern," Cooper confesses, "It was more of an ego hurt than any sort of artistic one."

And he states bluntly that he was "devastated" when Michael Mann didn't give him a role in the acclaimed director's recent gangster flick "Public Enemies." Rejection, he says, "is such a huge, inherent part of the business."

Cooper's days of losing out may be over -- at least for the foreseeable future. In addition to "All About Steve," in which he plays a TV cameraman who is the object of a goofy Bullock's unwanted affections, he'll team with A-lister Julia Roberts in next year's "Valentine's Day." And next month, he'll travel to Vancouver to start shooting "The A-Team," a remake of the '80s action series, with Liam Neeson. (He'll play "Faceman.")

For now, Cooper, a native of Philadelphia, is more than happy to share tidbits about his past. In 2000, he received a master's in acting, but he skipped his New York graduation ceremony to film his first movie, "Wet Hot American Summer." Before that, he graduated from the honors English program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

But it wasn't literature that took Cooper to the nation's capital. It was that high school crush. "In 10th grade, I just remember being in awe of her," he says. "There was a senior list at school of where everybody was attending, and she was attending Georgetown, and I thought, 'That's where I want to go to school.' Literally, that was the reason."

Cooper is still adjusting to his growing fame. He recently spent two weeks on a USO tour, his third, in the Middle East: "It's surreal being in a forward-operating base in Afghanistan and having a Marine coming up to you and him going, 'Hey, man. Sorry you didn't get Green Lantern.' "

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Why he's hot now

He plays Sandra Bullock's love interest in the romantic comedy "All About Steve," out Sept. 4.

He starred in this summer's surprise blockbuster, "The Hangover," the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, unseating Eddie Murphy's 1984 hit "Beverly Hills Cop."

He's set to star in next year's movie "Valentine's Day," opposite Julia Roberts. They made their Broadway debuts together three years ago in the play "Three Days of Rain."

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