Bradley Cooper’s on Fatherhood : “I Don’t Know if I’d Be Alive If I Wasn’t a Dad”

Bradley Cooper has shared how his 6-year-old daughter, Lea, has transformed his life.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I’d be alive if I wasn’t a dad,” the “Maestro” actor and director revealed on Monday’s episode of the “Armchair Expert” podcast. “I don’t know.”

“I just needed someone to say, ‘We’re gonna drop this massive anchor,’” Cooper explained, describing what becoming a dad felt like to him. “And I’m like, ‘Why? We’re speeding. I just got an upgrade on the boat, and I know where the wind is coming in.’ And they’re like, ‘No no no, there’s a tsunami coming, and you need an anchor, and we’re gonna drop it. [Because] this is going to dictate everything you do from now on.’” “Your DNA is going to tell you that there’s something more important than you,” Cooper added.

Cooper also opened up about another sensitive parenting topic, revealing that it took time to bond with his daughter after her birth.

“Everyone is always like, ‘I would die in a second for my kid,’” Cooper shared.

“I’m always like, ‘If I’m being honest, ehhh, I don’t know.’ The first 8 months I’m like, ‘I don’t even know if I really love the kid. It’s dope, it’s cool, I’m watching it morph,’” he said of his experience, later adding that “all of a sudden, it’s like no question.” Cooper co-parents Lea with his ex-girlfriend, model Irina Shayk.

He has previously discussed fatherhood, telling Bear Grylls last year about his approach to parenting Lea.

“You learn from your predecessor’s mistakes, and I’ll make tons that hopefully Lea will learn from, and then be rigorous with myself to grow,” he said. “To help unburden her with any of my bullshit.”