Bradley Cooper is pulling back the curtain on his creative process as writer and director of his latest film, Is This Thing On?, writes Molly McVety for The Philly Voice.
The Jenkintown native offered insights shaped by both personal growth and a distinctly Philadelphia mindset.
Cooper recently appeared alongside Guillermo del Toro for Variety’s “Directors on Directors” series and joined a screenwriting roundtable hosted by The Hollywood Reporter. The film stars Will Arnett as a man navigating stand-up comedy after a breakup, with Laura Dern portraying his estranged wife. Critics praised the movie’s structure and emotional tone following its release last month.
During the conversations, Cooper emphasized how his own life experiences helped him tell a more hopeful story. He said he wouldn’t have been able to approach the film’s themes of relationships and vulnerability earlier in his career. He noted that personal growth has made him more open as a storyteller. Cooper has been dating Gigi Hadid for more than two years.
Cooper also shared a surprisingly relatable writing habit: he keeps The Pat McAfee Show playing quietly in the background while he works, saying he can’t write in silence. Dialogue, he added, remains his favorite and most energizing part of the process.
To learn more about Cooper’s creative journey and his latest film, visit Philly Voice.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in January 2026
