Alias S02E21

[The Bradley Cooper interview picks up where it left offin the middle of a make-out session. Hee.]

You get to make out with some good-lookin' chicks.

I did. I didn't really get to make out with Sydney, though. I mean, that was just sort of a peck.

Yeah, but you got there first, man.

I did.

Did you just totally lord it over Michael Vartan about, like, "Dude, I got to kiss her FIRST, man."

We didn't know each other well enough then, but if I could ever go back, I would. But, you know, in the scheme of things, now that I know what happens? I would just be a fool.

[laughing]

Talk about eating your words.

I know, I know. Of course, considering they're just like --

-- completely together --

-- in between the sheets. Actually, I really like how the show doesn't get down to the ground level, in a couple of different ways.

No, not at all.

Like, it'll give you a taste of something, but it's not gonna go whole hog.

I actually like that they're together now. I think that it's really about time.

Well, it's about time and they didn't do the whole X-Files thing where, you know, by Season Seven, there was a possible hint of them kind of maybe getting together? I like that J.J. and crew just got it out of the way. Because it just opens up a whole new slew of potential storylines.

Yeah, and a lot can happen then. I mean, that's just the beginning.

Oh, yeah! I like that it's not the ultimate solution. It's actually the beginning of a lot of problems.

And, like, if all this stuff can happen now, what the hell is the cliffhanger gonna be at the end of the season?

I know!

You know what I mean?

I know! And even you don't know!

Yeah -- I mean, I'm asking YOU!

I know! And I don't know! The thing that I like about the show right now is that there isn't really any clear direction that the show is going at the moment.

No, not at all. I think it's still finding itself. Which is pretty exciting for a show at the end of its second season.

Yeah, and I hope it gets a chance to continue. What's all this blather I hear about it not...

Oh, it's gonna get picked up.

I think so too.

Oh, yeah, are you kidding? The ratings are the best they've ever been.

Oh, good. I want them to move to a different night, though. So they're not opposite Sopranos and Six Feet Under.

I know. But I don't think it's going to.

I like the spot on Sunday, I just --

I think it should be on at ten. I think Dragnet should be the lead-in. I don't know why they don't just move us to ten. Dude, we follow DISNEY.

Yeah, that's kind of a weird thing.

And Dragnet is gonna go for a long time, I think.

I think so. If they keep up the way they started out.

It's pretty great.

It's a pretty good show.

I mean, both of those guys are just fantastic.

I know. I don't know if you get the chance to watch a lot of TV, but did you see that Married With Children special?

Totally! Oh, he's amazing. He's an amazing actor. I think it's a great formula, that show.

Yeah, I'm glad they decided to bring it back, but not make it like, not make fun of it.

Yeah. I think it would be great to have that, and then have Alias. But, hey, what're you gonna do? I think on any other network, it woulda been a lot harder to keep this show going.

I think you're probably very right on that.

I think it's been a blessing that ABC has been suffering so much for our show because, it's, uh, an expensive show.

And it also seems like a really good crew. Like, not just the cast, but the people who work on it.

Totally. I mean, we supported our crew at the Hair and Makeup Awards and that was great. No, it's really a pretty unique experience.

Yeah, it sounds like it. [exhales loudly] Sorry. I'm smoking. I know you quit.

I know...[groans]

Oh, punkin, I'm so sorry. You'll be okay. Hey, you guys don't go on yourselves and actually read the boards, do you?

I used to go on, quite a bit, and it just wasn't really healthy for me.

No, I wouldn't think so. There's too much room for...not improvement, let's say. It's not good for you, it's not good for me. Pretty much, I get on there and people are bitching at me about recaps and stuff.

Yeah, I think it's good if you have your shit together, it's good to read it. But, if not, then it's not good.

[laughing] I think you have your shit together!

I think it's a pretty good barometer for if you have your shit together! "Let's see...am I together? Let's go into Television Without Pity. Oh, no. I wanna kill myself. Okay." [laughing]

[laughing] I don't think it's that bad!

[laughing] No need to go to therapy or anything! Here's the barometer. Right here.

I think it's hard to discern between what people are saying about your character and you.

Completely. Especially when you're playing a character for a year and a half.

Exactly. And you're like, "Well, stop saying that Will sucks." Because, first of all, he doesn't, and second of all, SHUT UP.

Yeah. It's pretty crazy.

Are you getting recognized more because of this show?

Yeah, definitely. But only in a great way.

Good. So you can actually live your life?

Yeah. I was just down the street the other day, buying a couple of albums. And I just thought, it's pretty great, just to be able to do that and have nothing, like, cumbersome, occur.

Oh, that's good. What's the last really good CD you bought?

I just bought "The Roots." The new album by Jurassic Five.

Ooh, Jurassic Five?! Nice, dude. Excellent.

Yeah.

What's the last fabulous movie that you saw?

Um. You know what I just saw? Hopscotch.

OOH! You're kidding me.

Nah.

Oh, my god. That's one of my favorite movies of all time.

Is it really?

Yeah, I own it. I own the Criterion of it.

I love that movie! Like halfway through I was like, "Eh." And then I just got, like, addicted to it and didn't want it to end!

It was one of my dad's favorite moves and he turned me onto it.

Well, first of all, I'm a huge Glenda Jackson fan. Women In Love is one of my favorites. But, Hopscotch, definitely.

Hopscotch is one of those movies that I can watch over and over and over again.

Dude. Ned Beatty. Actually, after I saw it, I called J.J. and I was like, "Dude, we have to get Ned Beatty."

Oh, totally!

I did. Literally. He's amazing.

"Now I know what 'FBI' stands for: 'Fucking Ballbusting IDIOTS'!"

How great is he in that?

Oh, dude. It was the first movie I'd ever seen as a kid where "fuck" was every other word.

I know! But out of his mouth only!

I know! And Walter Matthau was like this decent guy...

Oh, Matthau. And I love the way he holds his gun, like he's a two-year-old.

And Sam Waterston? Oh, it's just a brilliant movie. And the Criterion Collection has all this background stuff and how it was a book and how it came to screen, and it was just a very good investment on my part. It's just one of those movies that's a classic and deserves to be recognized. That's why I dig the Criterion. That's why it rocks. Sorry. Getting off track here. Let's see...whatever happened to "Jenny"? Your girltoy?

She's still drivin' somewhere.

[laughing]

Took my car...or that was her car...she's still drivin'.

Kicked your ass outta the car...still drivin'...

Yeah, how great was that? I actually love that, you know, I have to say, that's one thing that I do love what's happened with my character, he is very human.

Yes. Well, I think that's the point of him.

Yeah, exactly. And I think, to his detriment and his benefit. You know, what happened with Jenny is what happens all the time. And I think that he got caught in a situation and didn't know quite how to deal with it and he didn't make the right decision and, you know, it was a nice little story, I thought.

Oh, I thought so too. We were all just so happy that Will was gettin' some. And the way it all played out, I think it was all very real. And I'm hoping that the show continues to do this, where it kind of melds in the real stuff with the ass-kicking. I mean, for me, it was about the ass-kicking and the spy stuff, but the core of it is still the humanity.

Yeah, and I think you can be well assured that J.J. will never let that go.

See, and I think that's what he's actually all about.

Yeah.

I'd never seen Armageddon before and I saw it recently --

And it actually has a lot of that!

Totally!

Completely! You can totally tell it's him.

I was like, "I'm not gonna see this piece of crap! Whatever, J.J." And my friend Randy was like, "Dude. You HAVE to see it."

Dude, he wrote Regarding Henry too.

Oh, that's right.

And he wrote Forever Young. And he wrote Takin' Care of Business.

He wrote Takin' Care of Business?

How great is THAT?

That's stellar. I think he has a real sense of humanity.

Oh, he's amazing. He's like...pfft. And, he's, like, a good guy.

It sounds like it.

A really loyal guy.

I mean, come on! He cast Greg Grunberg. I mean, they were friends from, like, childhood.

And it doesn't hurt that Greg Grunberg is, like, insanely talented.

No. No, it doesn't. I mean, he's infinitely watchable.

Oh, he's great, dude.

Dude, and I love that he got shot, and now he's got this whole "carpe diem" thing going on!

Yeah, I hope that they utilize that and make him a regular year.

I hope so. He's very compelling. I like to watch his character a lot.

Yeah, I hope to have some scenes with him.

So, you have no idea, coming up, if you're gonna have scenes with him?

I can just hope.

He's around more, which I like. I mean, I'm glad you all have this core unit where you can all hang out. Like you know that none of you are going anywhere.

Yeah, but...they've already killed...they killed Francie.

That was...that was a completely stellar moment when the camera pans down and we're like, "No WAY!"

Yeah, the episode's over. SD-6 is down, you're like, what a great episo-- WHHAAAAT?

I know! We're like, oh, making out, everybody's making out, Sark's talking about it, okay, whatever, all of a sudden, WHOA! DUDE!

Yeah, pretty ridiculous.

Actually, that's why we were all flummoxed, because it was never dealt with where you went or if you got Francie or what. And we're like, man, somebody do something about this, let's talk about this. It was just one of those storylines that just sort of went...

Well, you know, actually, in the script, that scene where I'm doin' the crossword puzzle, there was line where Syd asked if Will got Francie out okay or whatever and he was like, "Yeah, I took her to Santa Barbara," or something. So, basically, he was like, "Yes. I got her out."

So, it was taken care of?

So you know it was taken care of, who knows when.

So, it could have been at any time, at any moment. We don't know.

Yeah.

Well, it's just good to know that...I know that sometimes, the stuff that winds up onscreen isn't --

We never even FILMED that bit about Santa Barbara. That was just in one version of the script.

And then it just never made it onto the screen --

Yeah.

Does that happen a lot?

Yeah. You know, they have to figure stuff out. Think about what they pack into forty-two minutes?

Yeah, I know.

It's insane.

It is pretty amazing. The shows are very dense. Which is, actually, the only time I get really snarky on it is when there's a bunch of stuff that I just don't understand.

Oh, completely. I'll tell you one thing you can tell your audience -- Ken Olin is the BEST director.

Is he?

Dude, if you go back and you look at the episodes that he directed, they're pretty much the best episodes.

I'm trying to think which ones those were -- do you know offhand --

He did "Page 47."

No way. He did?

He did that episode you said you loved? You know, the second-to-last episode of last year?

Yeah!

He did that episode. He did "Q & A." This year he did one that was phenomenal. I can't remember which one it was, but it was SO good. He's pretty incredible.