Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL sharpshooter in the war film “American Sniper,” and in preparation for the film based on the Kyle’s memoir, Cooper gained almost 40 pounds by eating every 55 minutes.
Jason Hall, the film’s writer-producer, talked to People about what Cooper went through to prepare for his role as Kyle.
“He was eating about every 55 minutes or something like that, and I want to say it was about 8,000 calories a day,” Hall said.
It’s obvious the physical demands for the role, including grueling workouts and eating a ton, were tough, but so were the mental aspects. The 40-year-old actor watched hours of footage of Kyle so he could get the role just right.
(Photo: YouTube screen capture)
“There were moments where they’d get him at a certain angle and you just felt Chris, you felt the essence of Chris. Standing behind the monitors, I’d just get goose bumps rushing up my legs,” Hall said. (RELATED: Michael Moore Slams Chris Kyle)
After hearing criticism the film received, Cooper defended it, and said he hoped “American Sniper” would “shed light on the fact of what servicemen and women have to go through.”
“And for me, and for Clint, this movie was always a character study about what the plight is for a soldier. The guy that I got to know, through all the source material that I read and watched, and home videos — hours and hours — I never saw anything like that.”
So far the film has broken box office records, raked in over $90 million and been nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor.
Cooper said that, for him, the role was a “life-changing experience.” (RELATED: ‘American Sniper’ CRUSHES Box Office Records)