Some relationships are so special they stand the test of time and, if you’re lucky, get stronger along the way. This, it seems, is exactly the type of connection that blossomed between Bradley Cooper and Victor Garber when they starred together on the hit TV show Alias back in the early aughts.
“Bradley has forged an intense bond with Victor — and pals say he’s like a second father to him,” an insider exclusively tells Closer Weekly about their time working on the Jennifer Garner-starring spy series. “Bradley has been gravitating to father figures during the years since his own dad died, and nobody has played a more important advisory role to him in that time than Victor.”
The 44-year-old lost his own father, Charles Cooper, to lung cancer in 2011, so it makes sense that Victor, 70, would fill that dad-shaped void. After all, Bradley appeared alongside him on the first two seasons of Alias as a main cast member before becoming a guest star for the final three seasons.
“They’ve known each other for 15-plus years and Bradley has consulted Victor on all his major projects,” they continue, explaining exactly how Bradley looks up to the Legally Blonde star. “Not only is Victor incredibly likable and easy to get along with, he’s also a master at picking juicy material, managing his career and staying above the kind of petty infighting that can take place in Hollywood.”
Bradley — fresh off an Academy Awards push for 2018’s A Star Is Born (which he directed, cowrote, and starred in alongside Lady Gaga) — has apparently leaned on Victor many times before. The source notes that he is “grateful to Victor for steering him in the right direction time and time again.”
As for how Bradley keeps his dad’s memory alive and well, look no further than the Oscar winner’s daughter, Lea De Seine, with girlfriend Irina Shayk. Turns out, he sees him in the 2-year-old.
“[Having a family has] changed everything,” Bradley recently said. “Our daughter, she’s incredible. And I see my father in her quite often. I can’t believe I’m gonna admit this, but I had moments when … I was in the room with her, I would say, ‘Dad?’ There are some moments where she looks just like my father. I watch too many movies.” Plus, it likely helps that mom Gloria Campano is still around.
We love the adoration Bradley has for Victor. Now, excuse us as we rewatch Alias for the millionth time.
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