Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Bradley Cooper revealed how a personal tragedy influenced his performance as Rocket Raccoon.
Cooper appeared on The Howard Stern Show where the actor discussed Rocket’s origin and how he approached the most dramatic moments in the final installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy.
“This last one, I’m not sure if you’ve watched it, but I actually cried like crazy. There’s a scene where he loses his friend and the sound Rocket makes is something I could only relate to, is the sound my own voice when my dad passed away,” Cooper said. “When we did it on the sound stage, I think everybody knew there was some deep truth to the sound that came out of my mouth and I think that’s why that moment in the movie is really like, ‘Holy shit.'”
Rocket Raccoon’s tragic past
The latest Guardians of the Galaxy installment dives into Rocket’s past when he was abducted as a baby raccoon and experimented on by the movie’s antagonist the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). In an attempt to escape, Rocket witnesses the death of his Batch 89 test subject friend Lylla and later seeks revenge against the High Evolutionary when they reunite in the present. As the movie ends with the original Guardians lineup going their separate ways with Rocket as the new team leader, Cooper told Good Morning America that Rocket’s last MCU appearance meant the world to him.
“Honestly, it was very emotional to play him,” Cooper said. “You really get a chance to understand how he came to be,” Cooper said. “Rocket went through a lot.”
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is now streaming on Disney+.
