Bradley Cooper is earning praise for his thrilling performance as Elijah Gemstone, a Civil War-era robber turned preacher, in HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones. 

After making a special guest appearance in the fourth and final season of The Righteous Gemstones, fans of the movie star, 50, inundated social media with posts reacting to his scruffy new look. 

‘Bradley Cooper in Righteous Gemstones is the first time I’ve found him attractive,’ one X user tweeted. 

Another wrote: ‘Not gonna lie, I didn’t hate how Bradley Cooper looked on Gemstones last night.’

‘It’s weird because Bradley Cooper is kinda regular-looking, yet he’s sooo H๏τ at the same time,’ a third marveled. 

Another stated they ‘knew it was him’ while watching, but her husband wouldn’t ‘believe’ her. 

Bradley Cooper is earning praise for his thrilling performance as Elijah Gemstone, a Civil War-era robber turned preacher, in HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones

Similarly, another viewer claimed they ‘kept going back & forth arguing with’ themselves over whether it was really Cooper making the cameo. 

In the series, Cooper sports a full and bushy beard while playing an outlaw during the Civil War in 1862 Virginia. 

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The Righteous Gemstones’s creator, Danny McBride, admitted that he was shocked they were able to get the Maestro star to join the cast. 

‘I ᴀssumed that Bradley Cooper’s not going to want to come down to Charleston for no money and be in a Civil War period piece, but I was wrong,’ he told The Hollywood Reporter. 

McBride continued: ‘We sent him the script and he instantly got back to me. He dug the material and was flattered we asked.’ 

The producer went on to stress that he ‘never’ thought they would get an actor of his ‘stature to wear a period piece wool costume in 90 degree weather for 10 days straight.’

‘It takes a very dedicated person to commit to that,’ he said of Cooper. 

Over his career, the father-of-one has been nominated for 12 Oscars including three individual nominations, last year, for Maestro and several for his work on 2018’s A Star Is Born.

After making a special guest appearance in the fourth and final season of The Righteous Gemstones, fans of the movie star, 50, inundated social media with posts reacting to his new look (seen in 2018)

In the series, Cooper plays a swindler, killer, and outlaw during the Civil War in 1862 Virginia; seen above in character

He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for 2013’s American Hustle and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook. 

Cooper’s other critically acclaimed roles include his performances in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Hustle (2013), American Sniper (2014) and Nightmare Alley (2021). 

He’s also earned six nods at the Golden Globe Awards and a Tony nomination. 

Meanwhile, Cooper’s wins include a British Academy Film Awards and three Grammy Awards. 

The star is among the most-nominated people without a win at the Academy Awards. 

While speaking about co-writing, starring and directing Maestro, the multi-hyphenate  told THR all his roles felt ‘like one thing’ to him.

‘I’m definitely somebody who plans and likes to make plans, so maybe I’m built for being a producer,’ he explained. ‘It’s so hard to make a movie. And I just love the process of an idea evolving into a finished product.’ 

On top of his busy career, Cooper, who is dating Gigi Hadid, and his ex Irina Shayk share a seven-year-old daughter named Lea De Seine.