In a recent revelation, director Derek Cianfrance disclosed that Bradley Cooper was on the brink of pulling out of the 2013 film The Place Beyond the Pines due to significant revisions made to the script. The film, which also stars Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes, required convincing from Cianfrance to keep Cooper on board after the actor expressed dissatisfaction with the alterations.
Cianfrance, who co-wrote the crime drama, revealed at the New Directors/New Films festival that he had brought in screenwriter Darius Marder to completely rewrite the script just before shooting began. This decision, while aimed at improving the film, caused Cooper to reconsider his involvement.
“I remember giving Bradley Cooper the copy of The Place Beyond the Pines, the new script, and getting a voice message from him saying, ‘Bro, I just want to let you know I read the new draft and I’m out,'” Cianfrance recounted.
Cooper, who played the role of Avery, a police officer who shoots a sympathetic thief played by Gosling, was reportedly unhappy with the changes, feeling that the revised script was not what he had signed up for. As Cooper’s presence in the film contributed to its funding, Cianfrance had to act quickly to convince him to stay.
“I was moving my family up to Schenectady the next day, and the whole crew was coming up there. I had all the money anyway,” Cianfrance explained. “I was like, ‘Can I come talk to you?’ So I went up to Montreal, and I had a long conversation with him from midnight to 3:30 in the morning where I got him back on. It was only in the last five minutes [he was convinced]. I think he just got tired. He wanted to go to bed.”
Fortunately, Cianfrance’s efforts paid off, and Cooper ultimately decided to stay on board. The Place Beyond the Pines went on to receive critical acclaim for its complex narrative and strong performances, including Cooper’s portrayal of Avery.
