10 Recent Movie Characters That Totally Messed Up Actors

Never one to dial it in at the best of times, the chance to work on a project that once had Leonardo DiCaprio attached to star in under the watchful eye of Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was one that Bradley Cooper knew he couldn't give anything less than 100% to.

But with the role of Stan Carlisle, described as a "survivor" by Cooper himself, came an immense amount of preparation over the course of six-months in order to flesh out a fully lived in and three-dimensional force that "existed". However, as the actor would note when talking to Stephen Colbert, the fact that his character relies upon routinely manipulating others did "mess (him) up a little bit."

Cooper would also note to Deadline how the role initially "terrified him" before realising that perhaps he shares something in common with Stan and the fact he doesn't really know who he is, stating:

"Maybe that's where I am in my life as an actor and a human being."

Nightmare Alley sounds like one hell of a journey... and that's just the one Cooper himself has been on.