Bradley Cooper and Ben Affleck are two superstars of Hollywood that made their name around the same time. However, while both are Oscar winners who have given us some of the best movies of the current era, Affleck was already a star, when Cooper was struggling to establish himself, in the late 90s.
This, however, led to an unlikely blessing in disguise for Cooper, who auditioned for arguably one of the worst Ben Affleck roles until now. It happened for the 1998-thriller Armageddon, which boasted of superstars such as Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, and Owen Wilson.
Ben Affleck got his first Razzie nomination for Armageddon
By 1998, Ben Affleck had already made a mark in Hollywood. He co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting (1997), earning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. This accolade catapulted him into leading roles, including that of A.J. Frost in Michael Bay’s Armageddon.
The film, centered on a team attempting to prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth, paired Affleck with Liv Tyler, portraying his on-screen love interest. Despite its commercial success, Armageddon faced critical scrutiny, leading to Affleck and Tyler’s nomination for Worst Screen Couple at the Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies). (via Far Out Magazine)
Of course, this did not prove to be the last time Affleck was nominated for a Razzie. He would go on to be nominated for the award a total of 9 times, three of which came in 2004. The ill-fated year resulted in nominations for Gigli, Paycheck, and Daredevil, which is still a blip on an otherwise storied career.
Regardless, as far as Armageddon is concerned, in another world, it would have been Bradley Cooper who would have been nominated.
Bradley Cooper auditioned for Ben Affleck’s Armageddon role
Around the same time, Bradley Cooper was striving to establish himself in the industry. He auditioned for the role of A.J. Frost, the part that ultimately went to Affleck. Reflecting on his early auditioning experiences, Cooper shared, (via Far Out Magazine)
I would put myself on tape. I had, like, a camcorder, and I didn’t even have anybody to read with, so I would actually read the other character’s lines, leave space in the tape recorder, and then say my line. I did that, honestly, maybe 200 or 250 times over the course of the two years while I was in school. And then I would just hand-deliver the tape to whatever casting address there was.
Of course, missing out on this particular role proved to be a blessing, even though the actor himself has had firsthand experience of the Razzies since then. In 2010, he and Sandra Bullock were awarded Worst Screen Couple for All About Steve. This, again, proved to be a departure from the norm, as Cooper went on to deliver some stunning hits.
This includes Argo, A Star is Born, American Sniper, and Silver Linings Playbook. And although the actor is yet to win an Oscar, he has been nominated 12 times, and will not be wrong to argue that he deserves one.
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