James Gunn On Why Bradley Cooper Doesn’t Play Rocket On Set

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 writer and director James Gunn has offered an explanation as to why Bradley Cooper doesn't play Rockett Racoon on set.

Infinity War Guardians Gunn
Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 writer and director James Gunn has offered an explanation as to why Bradley Cooper hasn’t played Rockett Racoon on the set of both Guardians films.

Sean Gunn, brother of director Gunn not only plays the Ravager Kraglin in the Guardians films but also serves as the on-set motion capture performer for Rocket Raccoon in both films with Bradley Cooper later providing the voice for Rocket in post-production.

The director was asked by a fan during a Facebook Live stream today if he would ever consider using Bradley Cooper as the “stand-in” for Rocket when the director explained why his brother is invaluable in the process of bringing the smart mouth Racoon to life:

“Sean Gunn is not a stand-in. He is a motion reference actor. That means we film everything Sean does on set as Rocket. We film it. I don’t stop doing takes of him until we get the performance right and then we use that performance as a basis for much of Rocket’s acting. And he does a fantastic job in that role. He knows it. He understands it. And also very important, Sean is able to physically do something most actors aren’t able to do, which is waddle around on all fours. He’s always been an incredibly limber guy that can to do a lot of strange physical things. And the fact that he’s able to waddle around on his legs all day long at the exact height of Rocket is quite a feat and quite quite difficult.”

So there you have it. In addition to both Guardians films, Gunn has also brought his waddling skills to the set of Avengers: Infinity War. The actor revealed he was on set of the production in Atlanta, GA back in January.

The film stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Glenn Close, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kurt Russell. Written and directed by James Gunn.

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 hits theaters May 5, 2017.

Source: Facebook (via Cinemablend)

Michael Mistroff

Michael Mistroff

News Editor, Film/TV Reporter at Heroic Hollywood.