Cooper: Recovering From "Hangover" Success

"The Wedding Crashers" And "He's Just Not That Into You" Star's New Film "The Hangover" Really Puts Him On The Map

(CBS)  Bradley Cooper is best known for his co-starring roles in the hit comedies, "The Wedding Crashers" and "He's Just Not That Into You."

In "The Hangover," Cooper plays a guy who tries to figure out what happened after his best friend's bachelor party in Las Vegas.

Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez sat down with Cooper to chat about his latest "bizarre and wild" movie as well as his rise to the top.

Cooper, who is humble about his recent success being in a No.1 movie, agrees with Rodriguez that "The Hangover" is "honestly the wildest, most unique, really funny movie" to be on screen in a long time.

"Todd Phillips, he just really went above and beyond what he'd done before. 'Old School' was amazing and 'Roadtrip,'" he said. "We were trying to figure out what we would call this movie when we're making it, like bachelor party meets memento, or 'Saving Private Ryan: The Comedy'. We all felt like we did a war movie. We really got the crap kicked out of each other."

Cooper was hooked on the film's plot when he read a one-liner that really reeled him in and made him laugh.

"When I read the script, there was one moment -- it played a lot in the trailer. Phil says, 'yeah, that's not going to happen.' What a great line. 'We're getting married in five hours. Yeah, that's not going to happen.' That sort of crystallizes it for me. It just moves like a bullet. It's like a detective story; it's not just a comedy," Cooper explained.

Cooper says that he loves his character, Phil because his "bark is a lot bigger than his bite."

"He's one of those guys, who was probably a real wild man before he got tied down. Now he's like the coach of little league. He teaches kids. He's got a kid. He's a great father, a great husband," he said. "So this idea of going to Vegas for the weekend, gets him very excited. As you learn in the movie, all he really cares about are his friends."

At first, Cooper admits that he didn't think he could play Phil.

"Todd (Phillips) talked me into believing I could do it," he said. "I'm glad he did."

Without revealing too much from the movie, Rodriguez says that Phil does come through in the end.

"Thank you. I think he does," Cooper added.

"The Hangover" is putting Cooper on the map like no other film has before. He landed the cover of Details magazine, and the article is all about how he is on the brink of super-stardom.

As a low key, modest guy, Cooper says he thinks the hype is "hilarious."

"Look, if it means that I can work with great people and do more work, that's all that really matters," he said. "It would be great."

Female viewers will be thrilled to hear that Cooper is currently single.

When it comes to clicking with a woman, he says "authenticity is the only really prerequisite."

A cooking aficionado, Cooper says that if he had a girlfriend, he would cook her "whatever she wants."

"Really? You're that good, that versatile?" Rodriguez asked.

"I'm that good. That's right," Cooper joked.

"Very nice. I don't know where to go from here!" Rodriguez admitted.

"I don't either!" Cooper said.

To break the comical awkwardness, Rodriguez asked Cooper what is the perfect cure for a hangover?

"I'm the worst. I was the kind of guy when I'd wake up, I thought I could run it off, sweat it out. It's worse because you become more dehydrated," he said. "Zach (Galifianakis - his co-star) is a genius. He said that eating roasted beets before you drink is actually the cure. Try it at home."