Scott Cooper (director)

Early life

Cooper was born in Abingdon, Virginia. He is a 1988 graduate of Abingdon High School. Cooper trained as an actor at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City. He received both his undergraduate degree in 1992 and his Doctor of Humane Letters in 2014 from Hampden–Sydney College in Hampden Sydney, Virginia.

Career

Cooper spent a decade working as an actor in film and television.

He made the switch to directing with 2009's Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film, released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, received widespread critical acclaim and a number of accolades, including the Academy Awards for Best Actor (Bridges) and Best Original Song.

Among Crazy Heart's fans were director Ridley Scott and producer Michael Costigan, as well as executives at Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way. Cooper was offered the opportunity to develop The Low Dweller, a spec script written by Brad Ingelsby that had DiCaprio and Scott attached, as actor and director respectively. Cooper rewrote the script, drawing on his experience of growing up in Appalachia and losing a sibling at a young age.

Relativity Media put the film, now titled Out of the Furnace, into production in 2012, with Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson and Casey Affleck leading the ensemble cast. Cooper directed the film, and shared writing credit with Ingelsby. DiCaprio and Scott remained as producers.

In January 2014, Cooper became attached to rewrite and direct Black Mass, a crime drama based the book of the same name by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, described as the "true story of Billy Bulger, Whitey Bulger, FBI agent John Connolly and the FBI's witness protection program that was created by J. Edgar Hoover." Barry Levinson had previously been involved with the project. Johnny Depp, who had been on and off the project for a number of years, came back on board to play the infamous Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, alongside Joel Edgerton as Connolly and Benedict Cumberbatch as Billy Bulger. The film was released in 2015. In 2016, he sold his home in Brentwood for $3.6 million and it was widely covered in the media.

Cooper wrote, directed and produced the 2017 western Hostiles, based on a decades old manuscript by the late screenwriter Donald E. Stewart. The film reteamed Cooper with his Out of the Furnace star, Bale, alongside Rosamund Pike. It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, with US distribution rights picked up by Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures. Cooper's next film was the supernatural horror story Antlers, starring Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro, which was released in 2021.

In January 2024 it was announced that Cooper would be writing and directing a film based on the making of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska. The film, titled Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, was based on the 2023 book written by Warren Zanes, with the involvement of Springsteen and his manager Jon Landau.

Unreleased projects

Main article: Scott Cooper's unrealized projects

In 2019, it was announced Cooper would direct Valhalla with Christian Bale starring, as well as a film adapting Jess Walter’s Over Tumbled Graves.

Influences

Thomas Wolfe and William Faulkner are literary influences.

Films that have influenced Cooper include: Robert Altman's Nashville, Terrence Malick's Badlands, John Huston's Fat City and Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show.

His principal film-making mentor has been veteran actor, producer and director, Robert Duvall. He and Duvall met on the set of Gods and Generals and struck up a friendship. Cooper was married on Duvall's 300 acre Virginia estate. The two appeared together in Broken Trail and Get Low, and Duvall produced and appeared in Cooper's film Crazy Heart, along with an appearance in The Pale Blue Eye.

Filmography

Acting roles

Film

Television

Recurring collaborators

Awards and nominations

• Nominated for Most Promising Director for Crazy Heart at CFCA Award 2009
• Nominated for Best Screenplay for Crazy Heart at 2010 Independent Spirit Awards
• Nominated for Best Screenplay for Crazy Heart at 2010 Writers Guild of America Awards
• Nominated for Best Director for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere at 2025 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards

References

References

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3. "Scott Cooper '92 Awarded Honorary Degree".
4. (November 5, 2019). "Remarkable Celebrities That Have Outstanding Business Skills".
5. SouthFlorida.com. (January 28, 2010). "Bridges shines in 'Crazy Heart'".
6. Thomason, John. (January 27, 2010). "WHISKEY-BENT AND HELLBOUND A DOWN-AND-OUT COUNTRY SINGER FAILS TO WALK THE LINE IN CRAZY HEART.".
7. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (November 20, 2013). "Fleming Q&As 'Out Of The Furnace' Helmer Scott Cooper". Deadline.
8. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (March 6, 2012). "Casey Affleck Frontrunner to Join Revenge Thriller 'Out Of The Furnace'". Deadline.
9. Gettell, Oliver. "'Black Mass' trailer: Johnny Depp sinks teeth into Whitey Bulger role".
10. (September 15, 2015). "Depp On His 'Comeback' As Whitey Bulger In 'Black Mass'".
11. Cappadona, Bryanna. (June 20, 2013). "Who Should Play Whitey Bulger in Black Mass?". [[Boston (magazine).
12. Rottenberg, Josh. (February 22, 2013). "Hollywood Insider: What's Going on Behind the Scenes: Boston's Bulger is Now Hollywood's '''It''' Gangster". Time Inc..
13. Zacharek, Stephanie. (September 15, 2015). "Black Mass Is Strong, but Johnny Depp Is Not Back Yet".
14. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (January 14, 2014). "'Out Of The Furnace' Helmer Scott Cooper In Talks For 'Black Mass;' Johnny Depp Talks To Play Whitey Bulger Reignite". Deadline.
15. Stern, Marlow. (September 20, 2015). "Whitey Bulger's Enforcer Slams 'Black Mass': 'The Movie Is Pure Fiction'".
16. (September 21, 2016). "'Crazy Heart' director Scott Cooper sells his home in Brentwood".
17. Leitereg, Neal J.. "'Crazy Heart' director Scott Cooper sells his home in Brentwood".
18. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (January 4, 2018). "'Hostiles' Scott Cooper On Directing Christian Bale, And The Strange James Earl Ray Tie Behind His MLK Film". Deadline.
19. McNary, Dave. (October 3, 2017). "Christian Bale's 'Hostiles' Acquired by Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios". Variety.
20. (August 20, 2019). "'Antlers' First Trailer: Scott Cooper and Guillermo del Toro Bring Supernatural Terror to a Small Town".
21. Club, Scott Cooper Miami Fan. (August 20, 2019). "Antlers by Scott Cooper Releases Trailer".
22. (January 13, 2024). "Bruce Springsteen Developing Nebraska Feature Film: Report". consequence.net.
23. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (2024-03-26). "Scott Stuber Sets First Post-Netflix Film: Bruce Springsteen & 'Nebraska'; Scott Cooper Directing, Jeremy Allen White Circling Along With A24; Ellen Goldsmith-Vein & Eric Robinson Producing: The Dish".
24. (8 April 2024). "In Coup For New Chief David Greenbaum, 20th Century Lands 'Deliver Me From Nowhere'; Jeremy Allen White Plays Bruce Springsteen For Scott Cooper In Drama On Making Of 'Nebraska' Album".
25. Sneider, Jeff. (June 21, 2019). "Christian Bale, Director Scott Cooper May Reteam for Secret Project 'Valhalla'".
26. Anthony Kaufman. (January 20, 2010). "Variety, Jan. 20, 2010". Variety.com.
27. [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/12/crazy-hearts-secret-acting-weapon-its-director-scott-cooper.html Profile], latimesblogs.latimes.com; accessed October 5, 2016.
28. "INTERVIEW: Scott Cooper and Robert Duvall". Incontention.com.