Bradley Cooper takes time to visit military veterans, shares 'Silver Linings Playbook'

In a whirlwind award season, Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper found the time to visit military veterans and discuss this most recent role as a man suffering from bipolar disorder.

During his time at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, M.D., Cooper screened his Oscar-nominated film for approximately 200 people, People reported. Cooper was delighted at the high number in attendance, as he had expected far fewer veterans to show an interest.

“We made this movie knowing it was personal for [director] David [O. Russell], but it's also become personal for so many people who have watched the movie,” said Cooper.

According to Today, the actor spent three hours following the screening in a Q&A session with the veterans.

"That's the best part about this thing is that it's able to reach out and make people feel included," he said.

Cooper told Today that the more places across the globe that he brings the film, the more strongly he feels that the movie helps show that having a mental illness doesn’t have to be life-destroying.

"It's heavily stigmatized. It's not a very treatable disease. It's a condition, if we liken it to cancer, diagnosed at stage four, well ... that's way too late,” Cooper said. "So hopefully, a movie like this will help it become, you know, (more treatable) in the onset."