Bradley Cooper played a major role in the first two seasons of spy drama Alias, but here’s why he “begged” creator JJ Abrams to leave.
Here’s why Bradley Cooper was so unhappy during his time on Alias that he begged JJ Abrams to write his character Will out of the show. Prior to Alias, Abrams had found success as a screenwriter on films such as Armageddon and as showrunner on Felicity. It was that last show that sparked the concept of Alias, where Abrams — who has upcoming DC shows — dreamed up an episode where Felicity worked as a government agent for a summer before returning to school. Alias debuted in 2001 and followed Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), who works as a double agent to bring down a sinister spy organization called SD-6.
Alias was famous for its many shocking twists, in addition to Garner’s elaborate disguises. It also gave Bradley Cooper one of his first big roles as Will Tippin, a reporter friend of Sydney who is clueless about his double life as a spy. During the first season, Will worked to uncover the truth about SD-6, which put his life in danger. He was eventually rescued by Syd and started working with the CIA in Season 2 – but Cooper (who was almost The Crow) wasn’t happy with his character’s arc. Will had little interest in Season 2 of Alias and reminded GQ that he ‘begged’ Abrams to write off Will – despite being advised to stay and not no work planned afterwards. Cooper left Alias as a regular at the end of Season 2, although his career took a bit to gain momentum.
How Will left Alias and his return appearances
A major common thread in Season 2 of Alias was that Sydney and Will’s friend Francie (Merrin Dungey) was murdered and replaced with a doppelganger. Evil Francie used her romance with Will to steal information from the CIA, but after being discovered, she stabs him. This leads to a fight between Sydney and the fake Francie, while Will’s fate is left unclear.
Alias Season 3 revealed that he survived but was placed in witness protection and started a new life. Cooper – who returned for the TV series Limitless – made a cameo in the episode “Remnants” when Sydney needs his help and they have a little spy adventure; he also got revenge for Francie’s murder. Cooper returned as Will for the final time during Alias’ 100th episode, which was meant to be a celebration of the series and its success.
Cooper almost quit acting after Alias
After leaving Alias, Cooper opened up about his personal and professional struggles. After leaving the show, Cooper tore his Achilles tendon while playing basketball and spent most of the year recovering. He was also addicted to drugs and alcohol during this time and, feeling that his career was going nowhere, considered quitting acting altogether.
He later credited his friend Will Arnett with helping him realize the extent of his substance abuse issues, and he’s been sober since 2004. Following this, he landed a role in The Wedding Crashers, which to his turn led to The Hangover movies making him a leader. man. Bradley Cooper is unlikely to regret leaving Alias now, but if a revival ever occurs, he probably won’t play a major role in it.
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Why Bradley Cooper Begged To Quit Alias (And How His Character Left) | Pretty Reel