"But what I really want to do is direct..."
It's the ancient Hollywood caveat, the actor's stab at greater control over his own work and image -- or, at least, in some cases, a stab at at least seeming to have a deeper creative ambition.
Filmgoers, at this point, only really know Bradley Cooper as the talented actor who wears his handsome well, mixing brash and vulnerable in rocket fuel for his ascending career. But as hard as he has worked to attain the spotlight, Cooper is a true cinephile, and wants to go deeper into the art of making movies. So while he helps sell out American theaters with his lead role in "The Hangover: Part II," over the Memorial Day weekend, Cooper is more quietly working to position himself behind the camera, too.
Appearing as a guest with Charlie Rose on Wednesday, Cooper revealed his screenwriting and directing ambitions, which are currently being concentrated on adapting the Dan Simmons-written science fiction novel series, "Hyperion" to the big screen.
"My friend and I went to [producer] Graham King, who own the rights to Hyperion, and we wrote a treatment on spec. I said, 'I know this is a very audacious endeavor, but can you just read this spec we wrote? I think we have a way in to tell the story,'" Cooper revealed. "So now we're negotiating to write the script for it."
If it gets off the ground, he's not quite sure that he'd be able to direct it -- though the desire is there -- but it'd be a first step toward a life of more total storytelling.
In the meantime, though, more major acting roles: he'll soon begin co-starring with Ryan Gosling in "The Place Beyond The Pines," which will be directed by "Blue Valentine" helmer Derek Cianfrance.
Below, check out a clip of Cooper talking with Rose about "The Hangover: Part II," and click here to see the whole interview.