Right around the time Bradley Cooper made his movie debut in 2001′s Wet Hot American Summer, his childhood friends Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal were laying the groundwork for a movie that would, for the next decade, make its way in and out of the hands of executives at production companies and studios and various stages of development. At times, it seemed like the movie was possibly on a path to getting made…then a bump in the road.
But then a funny thing happened. Literally. Audiences couldn’t get enough of the highjinks in Cooper’s 2009 hit comedy The Hangover, and overnight, he was elevated to star status and a bankable actor. All those years later, he never forgot about Klugman and Sternthal’s script, one he described as “very seductive. It really allows actors to explore how forceful relationships can be.”
And thanks to his relationship with the two writers, who also make their directorial debuts on their movie, The Words is now more than just those on a piece of paper, opening in theaters Friday, September 7th.
In addition to his role as Executive Producer, Cooper also stars in the movie, something he says he never thought was in the cards. Cooper and Klugman talk to The Seven Sees about the movie’s journey and reveal the movie’s connection to Cool Hand Luke, plus we take a closer look at the movie’s layered premise.
The Words also stars Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana and Ben Barnes.
