Bradley Cooper Says American Sniper Role Was Life-Changing

Actor Bradley Cooper says in a new interview with People that playing former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in American Sniper was a life-changing experience.

Cooper, who has been visiting veterans nationwide, admits he has always respected military men and women but never fully realized the toll it can take on their families. He called playing Kyle “life-changing,” and says he’s gratified that people are responding well to the film.

“People were willing to express themselves in a format that they would never do normally,” Cooper adds. “But because they saw Chris’s story, they were willing to say, ‘Thank you for putting a guy I can relate to up there and have it be something right away that I know is accurate.'”

Read more at PEOPLE.