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Bradley Cooper On His 'Green Lantern' Audition: 'I Couldn't Not Do Christian Bale's Batman'

Now that Reynolds has officially been cast, Cooper felt free to speak about the missed opportunity and audition process for "Green Lantern" on last night's edition of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The actor said that while he was grateful for the opportunity, Reynolds was a better fit for the role.

"I did get a chance to try out for it, which was amazing to even get a chance," Cooper told O'Brien. "Ryan Reynolds got it—who, by the way, if I was directing the movie, I would cast him. He's perfect. He actually looks like a superhero."

It definitely sounds like the right actor was chosen, if Cooper's own account of the audition process is any indicator. The "Hangover" star spoke about reading for "Green Lantern" in front of director Martin Campbell, though he couldn't help evoking a completely different superhero at the time.

"I couldn't not do Christian Bale's Batman when I was doing the audition," he laughed. "I don't know what it was! I put a mask on and the director was like, 'Okay Bradley, be regular and talk.' And I was like, 'Yeah, got it... [in a deep, gravely Batman voice] listen, Sally, we're going to have to take your family away if you don't listen to me!' By the way, that's the worst Batman [impression] ever. I apologize."

When he saw actual playback footage from his audition, Cooper said that his Bale-inspired take on Jordan was laughably bad.

"At one point, I actually walked back and saw it, because they have it on the monitor while you're auditioning," he remembered. "I saw a little clip as they were rewinding it, and I thought, 'Oh my god, that can't be.' It looked like a Saturday Night Live sketch! I was like, 'Oh, I'm not getting this! Now I can really do my Batman! Who gives a s---?'"

How much would you pay to see Cooper's "Green Lantern" audition tape? Are you glad the part went to Reynolds or do you think Cooper could've played the role better? Let us know what you think in the comments section!

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