Bradley Cooper once recalled how history-making Emmy winner Matthew Rhys saved his life on the set of the 2015 movie Burnt.
Cooper, 51, told the story during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast earlier this year, and the interview has resurfaced on social media in the wake of Rhys becoming the first person to ever win two lead acting Emmys on the same night.
Rhys won for his performance in the new series Widow’s Bay, which swept the comedy categories, and for his chilling performance in the psychological drama The Beast In Me.
During his conversation with Rogan, Cooper remembered the first time he worked with Rhys.
“I did a movie with him years ago called Burnt, about a chef, and we had never met,” explained Cooper. “And there’s a scene where my character, he was trying to get sober and he went off the wagon. And he goes to this guy, his old nemesis. They were nemesis to each other. [He goes] to his restaurant, after hours. And it was like a pretty dark scene. We had never met, me and this guy, this actor, before we shot.”
Cooper continued: “And I come in, and then I don’t know... I was pretty locked in. There was one scene which wasn’t really scripted. I took one of those sous vide bags and I put it over my head, because he’s trying to kill himself. Which, by the way, I was like: ‘Oh, this could work!’ If I don’t get help. Those things are strong and tight.
“Then we had this experience, Joe, where he was ripping it off me, trying for me not to kill myself. And I don’t know him that well, but we had... that’s the thing about making art together. We had that experience. Every time I see him, I’ve seen him maybe six times at certain things... I always feel like we’re bonded forever just based on this one experience that we had.”
Cooper went on to praise Rhys for his talent, calling him “an incredible actor.”
Rhys was the biggest winner at last night’s Emmys, asWidow’s Bay also won for best comedy series — one of 14 total trophies the new Apple TV+ show took home.
Jean Smart also made Emmys history, tying Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the most overall acting wins (eight) in Emmy history. With the win, Smart has officially taken home lead actress honors for every season of Hacks.
