Bradley Cooper will always have a special place in his heart for Guardians of the Galaxy. Cooper voiced the beloved Rocket Raccoon in multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe films beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014. During a Q&A at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, where he was awarded Outstanding Performer of the Year for his work in Maestro, he reflected on his character that underwent torturous experiments.
Bradley Cooper got emotional watching Rocket Racoon’s story
Bradley Cooper explained that the pained scream Rocket lets out when the High Evolutionary kills Lylla was the sound of the actor’s own voice when his dad passed away. Cooper revealed that he cried like crazy. The actor comments that because the moment is tied to his personal experience, it is so much more powerful in the movie. Cooper’s emotional performance was praised by many as the best of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s cast.
Cooper said, “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. 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.'”
“I love Rocket Raccoon so much,” said Cooper. “And I love doing that third one [Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3] because [that’s] when James [Gunn] told me what was going to be the origin story. I just got so excited that I cried a lot.” Cooper praised Gunn for making the process fun.
“It’s the greatest, and James is wonderful, and we would do it like a play, actually. And we were trying to figure out how best to do it because I do the voice after the movie’s already been shot, and first they would show scenes, and then eventually James would just read all the other parts, and we would do it like a play, and it was actually really fun,” he said.
Rocket Raccoon was the perfect main character for Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s true star was undoubtedly Bradley Cooper’s character Rocket Raccoon. Before the movie, Rocket’s past was shrouded by darkness, and the reveal of how the character became who he is after experiencing years of pain at the hands of the High Evolutionary was a major moment.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was director James Gunn’s final MCU movie, and the film revealed Rocket’s backstory, including his connection to Lylla as an Easter egg and his origin as a raccoon. The film also showcased Cooper’s character’s acceptance of his origin as a raccoon, highlighting the emotional resonance of Rocket with fans.
Gunn has said in multiple interviews that he views Rocket as similar to himself, so the character playing the main role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s plot as Gunn leaves the MCU made sense. Despite Thanos snapping away most of the Guardians in Avengers: Infinity War, Rocket remained behind. His popularity with other MCU heroes like Thor in recent Avengers films has made him a popular choice for the main character and team leader. This makes Rocket the new leader of the team.
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