Out of the many talking points to arise from American Sniper's record breaking run, the one that seems to surface the most is that damned baby doll. It's a good thing Bradley Cooper's a good sport about it, but it's even better when you realize just how ridiculous he felt about the whole thing as he did it.
The Ellen Show recently had Cooper on as a guest, and while he was there to promote his new chef drama, Burnt, Ellen couldn't resist jumping in on Babygate 2015. Apparently, between Cooper and American Sniper co-star Sienna Miller's recent appearances on the show, it was learned that the baby was supposed to be a radio controlled deal. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, the gear wasn't working, and Cooper had to take one for the team. Yet with that wry grin, Bradley Cooper set off to make the most convincing baby movements, after saying the following:
Watch this. Eat your heart out, Muppets.
The funniest part about Cooper's response isn't the fact that he invokes Jim Henson's beloved creation, but according to his own account, he did so while still in character as Chris Kyle. Yet all of this could have been avoided, if Clint Eastwood went with the method performance. As it turns out, Bradley Cooper spilled that the reason a doll was being used in the first place was because director Clint Eastwood didn't want to use a real baby.
The unpredictability of a live performance was too risky for the seasoned professional to gamble with, so the animatronic doll was the preferred option. Say what you will about kids being unpredictable, but at least you don't have to worry about them running out of batteries. You can watch the scene in question below, for the first or five-hundredth time, below.
With almost a full year passing after American Sniper's release, it's funny that the baby still has such traction when it comes to talking about the film. Considering how politically charged Chris Kyle's record is, both during and after his combat service, you would have thought that the film would still remain as a sore spot for partisans left and right. But it's nice to know that at the end of the day, we can all join hands, smile, and call bullshit on an animatronic baby that went on the fritz the day of shooting.
Our fingers are crossed that Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller didn't have any major oven malfunctions during the production of Burnt. Though we'll imagine that if there was, the stories will start to circulate soon, as the film opens its doors to audiences on Friday.
