Last Friday, I wondered aloud what happened to Bradley Cooper’s Oscar campaign. He hit hard (and early) in October with a conversation about wanting babies. Since then, he’s been surprisingly low key because he’s busy on Broadway with a starring role in the Elephant Man revival. But don’t worry, ladies. Daddy is back and covering the January issue of Vanity Fair to promote his turn as a Navy SEAL in American Sniper.

This cover is really something, right? BCoop and his big red balls are paying tribute to an iconic Sean Connery image. It doesn’t quite work out as planned. Connery played it smooth, and Bradley is full of frenetic energy. VF really played up the blue in his eyes too. Only a few excerpts have surfaced so far. Bradley says he nearly quit acting during his Alias days to go back and get a Ph.D. in English lit. Can you imagine professor BCoop? Excerpts, please:

On emotionally preparing for the role: “Losing someone close to me. Going through love and loss . . . knowing what’s important. Realizing that the bottom line is that all I got is me, so it’s about time to stop trying to be something that I think you would want me to be. Or that would give me what I think I need. As you get older, thank God, your body deteriorates, but your soul sort of flourishes.”

He didn’t take simulants to gain weight: “aand didn’t want to do anything. I had a realistic conversation. Can I do this in three months naturally? Can I gain 30 pounds of f***ing muscle? I didn’t know if I would be able to do it or not. Thank God–luckily–my f***ing body reacted fast.”

On his state of mind: “I see life much more gray as I get older. I was so sort of black-and-white in my late 20s. There’s right and there’s wrong and that’s it. That’s a tough way to live. It’s rare that I judge somebody, really rare. I think people feel that, so it’s sort of easy to get close to somebody if you don’t feel judged by them.”

Getting gritty at work: “I always knew I wanted to be in the trenches with a director making the movie. I always felt that’s what I’m supposed to be doing. I always knew deep down that if I’m not going to do that then I’m not too long for this business.”

Sienna Miller on BCoop: “He’d be brilliant, but he’d be a nightmare [as a director]. He won’t let anyone get away with anything.”

[From Vanity Fair]

These excerpts aren’t too interesting. I hope some better tidbits surface soon. Bradley needs to dig deep for that Oscar nomination, so he can make it a threefer. Do you think he’ll ever win an Academy Award? This role should show some range and get him out of the yelling trap. BCoop will earn a nomination at the very least. Body transformation, yo.

Here’s a photo of BCoop hopping on the NYC subway a few weeks ago. I love it when celebrities take the subway. Dude is trying hard to not be noticed, but he looks like an extra on Law & Order: SVU. Come to think of it, he appeared on the show during Season 6. (I watch too many USA reruns at the gym.)

Photos courtesy of Vanity Fair, Fame/Flynet & WENN