Bradley Cooper recounts Rocket Raccoon’s most emotional scene in GUARDIANS 3 with the death of his father

Bradley Cooper recently appeared on The Howard Stern Show, and while there he talked about the voice of fan-favorite Marvel movie character Rocket Raccoon. I love this character and his story arc throughout James Gunnit’s three o’clock Guardians of the Galaxy films are such a powerful and emotional journey.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 it really took us deep into the character’s psyche and at one point we saw the most devastating moment of his life. The pain and agony that Rocket shows over the death of his friends in the film made audiences and fans cry.

Cooper revealed that when he played that emotional scene, he channeled his father’s death to effectively show that tragic grief.

In the flashback scene, a young Rocket attempts to escape from the High Evolutionary, and in the process the villain heartlessly kills his friends, prompting Rocket to let out a deeply anguished scream. Speaking about how he expressed it, he said:

“In this last one… I actually cried like crazy watching it and when we shot it, there’s a scene where he loses his friends and… speaking of my dad… the sound Rocket makes , the only thing I can relate to it is the sound I remember hearing my voice when my father died.

“There’s something you hear. And I remember when we did it on stage. There was a deep truth in the sound that came out of my mouth and I think that’s part of the reason why that moment in that movie is kind of like, ‘Holy shit.'”

Cooper added that he “felt very naked after doing it,” revealing how vulnerable he was to be so honest with his portrayal of Rocket.

The actor also talks about his approach to playing Rocket, and explains how he records his lines and the role director James Gunn plays in that. Cooper also says that he “loves” playing the character, who many fans would like to see in action again one day, which most likely will happen.