Days before Super Bowl LVIII, Kansas City Chiefs fan Brad Pitt gave his friend Bradley Cooper a gentle reminder of what happened in last year’s big game.
Presenting Cooper, 49, with an award at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Thursday, February 8, Pitt, 60, used the opportunity to poke fun at his buddy, who is an avid Eagles fan. Wishing Cooper the best of luck at the Oscars next month, Pitt said Cooper will be fine if things don’t go his way. “And truly Brad is OK, he’s fine,” he said. “He’s used to it. He’s a Philadelphia Eagles fan.”
Pitt is currently riding high as his team gets ready to face the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 11. His Chiefs also won the Super Bowl last year, taking down Cooper’s Eagles on a field goal in the final moments.
Cooper seemed to take the jab in stride, saying “I don’t like what you said there,” as he accepted the Outstanding Performer of the Year award for his portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in Maestro.
Pitt’s tribute was full of jokes, and not all of them were about Cooper’s sports fandom. He also quipped that the pair have a “couple of things in common,” including “being a movie superstar and also a name,” according to People.
But Pitt also used the time to honor his friend, whom he credits with helping him get sober.
In praising Cooper’s work in Maestro, Pitt said, “Now I’m not gonna say I know for certain what’s at the heart of Bradley’s brilliance, but I am going to take a stab at it. What I think it is is his voracious love for this little thing we call the human experience and all its struggles and joys and messiness. My man’s in it, he doesn’t run from any evidence, and I think it’s that that he infused into each frame that he puts up on the screen.”
As for Cooper, he delivered a humble acceptance speech, crediting those around him for helping him get to where he is today.
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep going, and you know when you feel love and authenticity, it gives us strength and it’s just community, man,” he said. “It’s all about community. And I know that without community I would never attempt to achieve the things that I’ve attempted without people that have believed in me in ways that I never believed in myself.”
Cooper has long been complimentary of Pitt as well, though Us is still unsure whether their bond is strong enough to get The Hangover star to root for the Chiefs on Sunday.
