Bradley Cooper channeled father’s death for key Rocket scene in Guardians 3

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the stakes were at a high for the trilogy. As such, it features some of the most emotional moments in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, none more so than the transformative moment when Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) witnesses the imprisonment, torture and death of his fellow test subjects. When otter Lylla (voiced by Linda Cardellini) dies, Rocket releases a curdling scream that comes straight from the gut. Now, Bradley Cooper has opened up about his own harrowing experience that was channeled in that scene.

Appearing on The Howard Stern Show, Bradley Cooper remembered watching the scene in question, saying Rocket’s scream must have come from reliving the death of his father. “In this last one…I actually cried like crazy watching it and when we did it, there’s a scene where he loses his friends and…talking about my dad…The sound that Rocket makes, the only thing I can relate it to is the sound I remember hearing my own voice when my dad passed away…There’s something that you hear…And I remember when we did it in the sound stage…there was some deep truth to the sound that came out of my mouth and I think that’s part of why…that moment in that movie is kind of like, Holy Shit…”

Bradley Cooper added that this particular Rocket scene made him feel vulnerable and embarrassed, saying he “felt very naked after I did that.” Still, there is undoubtedly something to be proud of, especially since he helped bring Rocket’s backstory to life and give the character far more depth than he had in previous entries.

Bradley Cooper’s father, Charles, died in 2011, three years before the star first played Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy.

Cooper is currently on the promotional circuit for Maestro, in which he plays Leonard Bernstein. The film is currently in a limited theatrical run before it comes to Netflix in December 20th.

What is your favorite Rocket scene throughout the MCU? What do you think of Bradley Cooper’s overall performance as the series progressed? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.