Bradley Cooper has shared how his 6-year-old daughter, Lea, has transformed his life.
âHonestly, Iâm not sure Iâd be alive if I wasnât a dad,â the âMaestroâ actor and director revealed on Mondayâs episode of the âArmchair Expertâ podcast. âI donât know.â
âI just needed someone to say, âWeâre gonna drop this massive anchor,ââ Cooper explained, describing what becoming a dad felt like to him. âAnd Iâm like, âWhy? Weâre speeding. I just got an upgrade on the boat, and I know where the wind is coming in.â And theyâre like, âNo no no, thereâs a tsunami coming, and you need an anchor, and weâre gonna drop it. [Because] this is going to dictate everything you do from now on.ââ âYour DNA is going to tell you that thereâs something more important than you,â Cooper added.
Cooper also opened up about another sensitive parenting topic, revealing that it took time to bond with his daughter after her birth.
âEveryone is always like, âI would die in a second for my kid,ââ Cooper shared.
âIâm always like, âIf Iâm being honest, ehhh, I donât know.â The first 8 months Iâm like, âI donât even know if I really love the kid. Itâs dope, itâs cool, Iâm watching it morph,ââ he said of his experience, later adding that âall of a sudden, itâs like no question.â Cooper co-parents Lea with his ex-girlfriend, model Irina Shayk.
He has previously discussed fatherhood, telling Bear Grylls last year about his approach to parenting Lea.
âYou learn from your predecessorâs mistakes, and Iâll make tons that hopefully Lea will learn from, and then be rigorous with myself to grow,â he said. âTo help unburden her with any of my bullshit.â