Bradley Cooper makes Forbes’ highest-paid actors list

Philadelphia area native Bradley Cooper has been named to Forbes’ list of the highest-paid actors, after raking in about $57 million since June last year.

That’s a long way from when Cooper was working as an intern here at the Daily News.

Cooper, who was raised in Jenkintown and Rydal, ranked at sixth on Forbes’ annual list, tying for the spot with funnyman Adam Sandler. Dwayne Johnson, who spent some of his teen years in Bethlehem, topped the list for this year with a total income of $89.4 million.

Cooper’s 2019 ranking, the magazine wrote, can be attributed mostly to his take from 2018’s A Star Is Born, which he directed, produced, co-wrote, and starred in alongside Lady Gaga. About 70 percent the Germantown Academy grad’s $57 million total came from that movie, which earned $435 million worldwide, giving Cooper about $40 million, Forbes estimates.

Another 10 percent of his total came from Cooper’s role as Rocket Raccoon in the Avengers franchise.

Cooper isn’t the only Philly native to top a Forbes highest-paid list this week. On Monday, the magazine released its list of the highest-earning stand-up comedians, which Philly’s own Kevin Hart topped with a total of $59 million earned between June 2018 and June 2019.

Hart previously topped that list in 2016, but was dethroned by Jerry Seinfeld, who came in second place this year with $41 million. Previously, Seinfeld has regularly been named as the list’s highest-earning comic.

While Cooper’s A Star Is Born accounts for much of his highest-paid total, the film only earned one award at — for best original song — at this year’s Oscars ceremony despite eight nominations, including one for Cooper for best director. In an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Conversations series earlier this year, Cooper said the lack of Academy Award accolades “embarrassed” him.

“I’m never surprised about not getting anything, but it’s funny you ask this, because I’ve thought about this,” Cooper said. “I was with my friend at a coffee shop in New York City, and I looked down at my phone, and Nicole [Caruso, his publicist] had texted me congratulations on these other things, but didn’t tell me the bad news. And I went, ‘Oh, wow.’ And the first thing I felt was embarrassment, actually. Think about it. I felt embarrassed that I didn’t do my part.”

This year has also been an eventful one in Cooper’s personal life. In June, Cooper split from beau Irina Shayk, with whom he shares a daughter, Lea De Seine. The former couple are currently sharing custody.