Thanks to one interview, Bradley Cooper’s Oscar campaign has come to a crashing halt.

As we draw to the crescendo of Hollywood's award season, this may mean a lot or a little to you depending on whether you dabble in the fine arts of Tinsel Town. 

Regardless, it's highly likely you've been seeing plenty of famous faces covering your news feed as the Academy Awards campaigning in Hollywood reaches a fever pitch. Everyone wants the Oscar, and this is their last-ditch attempt at getting voters (and the public) on their side, with voting for the 2024 Academy Awards closing at the end of February. 

There are many fine lines to tread in Hollywood but none more obvious than the one toed in the lead-up to this year's Academy Awards.

It's the line the best actor nominees must traverse in their campaign towards winning positive public perception, an Oscar statue, and glory forevermore. 

But what is the secret sauce that gets voters (and the public) on their side? It's a recipe that has long been contested. 

They need to be engaged in the campaigning process but aloof enough that the magnitude of it all doesn't make them appear too thirsty. They need to be earnest, but not to the point of being insufferable. Honour the work they've done but don't take it too seriously. Congratulate themselves, but don't get a big head.

Watch: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform Shallow at the 2019 Oscars. Post continues below.

One such Oscars campaign that has been garnering attention - is that of Bradley Cooper. His behaviour on the campaign trail has been raising eyebrows and it begs the question - is it doing the exact opposite of what he wants it to do?

Maestro has received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), and Best Actress (Carey Mulligan). 

Much attention has been given to Cooper and his portrayal of American composer Leonard Bernstein and his rise to fame, his battle with addiction, his many affairs with men, and his relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre. It's a wonderful story and Cooper was right to push for it to be told in his feature film Maestro.

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Berstein in Maestro. Image: Netflix.

In preparation for the role, Cooper left no stone unturned. He consulted with Bernstein's three children to get their blessing before launching into a rigorous schedule where he spent six years learning how to conduct. But for all his efforts, early on he was faced with controversy when the first images from production were released to the public and he was accused of "Jew Face" for the use of prosthetics to change the shape of his nose.

"My nose is very similar to Lenny's, actually. I thought, 'Maybe we don't need to do it,' but it's all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny's, and my chin," he said when speaking to Gayle King for CBS.

And then there's been the case of a resurfaced interview from December which has been doing the rounds on TikTok, with users remarking on Cooper's "cringe" behaviour during a CBS Sunday Morning exclusive. In the clip Cooper begins to choke up and get emotional when asked about Bernstein. 

Listen to The Spill hosts explain why Bradley Cooper destroyed his chance of winning an Oscar.

"Oh, yeah. It's hard to talk about," he said fighting back tears.

"I don't know. We shared something very special. It's hard to even articulate, but he was with me, certainly, throughout the entire time [filming]."

For the record, Leonard Bernstein died in 1990, and he and Cooper never met. It's this particular sticking point that caused many to question the authenticity of Cooper's emotion and then label it performative in the name of his Oscar's campaigning. 

With just one resurfaced interview, his Oscars campaign seemingly came to a very public end. 

Whilst I have no doubt actors truly dedicate themselves to immersing themselves in a character's life in order to portray them in the most authentic way, they can often be accused of forming a 'god complex' for their troubles.

It's this overzealous approach that grates on the public and we've seen this backfire completely in the past. One particular Oscars campaign that comes to mind is that of Anne Hathaway in 2013 after she played the role of Fantine in Les Misérables. 

Anne Hathaway at the 2013 Academy Awards. Image: Getty.

As she made a clean sweep during awards season her "smug" and "insufferable" disposition irked the public. "It came true," she whispered under her breath as she accepted the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, leading many to say that her 'theatre kid energy' was hard to stomach. 

If you read through the transcript of her acceptance speech there is truly nothing incriminating except it launched the fire of a thousand suns with the internet throwing daggers her way. Her crime, according to the haters, was being too "performative" and wanting it too much. I think we can all agree, upon reflection, she was treated way too harshly but the notion that you can want something too much still rings true in the awards season eco-system.

At this point the public are far too clued in on the master mechanics that go on behind closed doors in order to orchestrate an Oscars marketing campaign. Hathaway's campaign narrative hit a bung note and she was chastised for it. We now know that big money is spent to make sure the gold statue is secured but those campaigns can often be fraught with misfires. 

Just take a look back at Cooper's previous shot at an Academy Award when a reported $US20 million was splashed out in an effort to win big for A Star Is Born. The narrative that he and co-star Lady Gaga were secretly in love was pushed ad nauseam (and to be honest we all fell for it hook, line and sinker). 

Lady Gaga's quote - "There can be 100 people in a room and 99 of them don't believe in you, but all it takes is one and it just changes your whole life," will live rent-free in our minds forever. But for all their efforts (and big budgets) they weren’t successful in taking out the Academy Awards in their respective acting categories.

Lady Gage and Bradley Cooper. Image: Getty.

Conversely, this time around his co-star Carey Mulligan has been seemingly a much less willing participant in the fanfare. It would appear she is entirely non-plussed about the circus. Maybe it's the stoic Brit in her or maybe she's just not phased about winning an Oscar. 

 

Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper. Image: Getty.

 It's certainly not a case of Mulligan not caring or not putting in a stellar performance in Maestro - it's just that we get the feeling she's probably going to be quite ok if she wakes up on the morning after the Academy Awards without an Oscar statue gracing her bathroom. 

Cooper...maybe not so much.

Perhaps with the sting of the A Star Is Born loss still weighing heavy on him, Cooper wasn't going to miss any swings this season. But has his deep desire and yearning to finally win an Academy Award ultimately besmirched his good name - and his chances?

Bradley Cooper has always been a very likeable character and a bit of an easy sell when it comes to marketing. 

Traditionally handsome, charismatic, genuine acting chops and the ability to lead a comedic box office film just as much as he can sink his teeth into a more serious role. He interviews well and he's got that Hollywood smile. So when it comes to a home run Oscars campaign - he's a marketing team's dream, right?

It's not that he has been at fault for doing anything deeply problematic along his campaign trail. In fact, his only crime (just like Hathaway) has been wanting it too badly, which in Hollywood, is a cardinal sin.

The desperation is almost palpable at this point. He wants it so badly - and why shouldn't he? He worked hard on this passion project and he'd like to receive his flowers. But is wanting accolades so desperately the death knell to actually receiving the award? Sincerity and authenticity are such buzzwords but it's really a delicate dance to encapsulate all of this into a narrative that strikes a chord with voters.

It’s a tricky walk to traverse and maybe we'll never truly understand the secret sauce that gets you the award. You’re either too much or too little and on the day what will be will be.

I guess we'll find out on March 11 (AEDT) when the envelope is opened and Cooper's fate is decided. 

Will his campaign have been enough, too much or will he have to begin the trail all over again next year?

Feature Image: Getty.