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NEED TO KNOW
Will Arnett revealed the key to working with his longtime friend Bradley Cooper in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 2025 GQ Men of the Year event
The two actors share the screen in the forthcoming comedy-drama Is This Thing On? — which Cooper directed and co-wrote with Arnett and Mark Chappell
"Because we do have that longtime friendship, we could really rely on each other and be really honest with each other," Arnett said of the A Star Is Born filmmaker
Will Arnettis sharing how his decades-long friendship withBradley Coopertranslated to their working relationship on set.
The pair share the screen in the forthcoming movieIs This Thing On?(in theaters on Dec. 19), which Cooper, 50, directed and co-wrote with Arnett, 55, and Mark Chappell. The comedy-drama, which follows a stand-up comedian facing middle age and an unraveling marriage, marks the first time that Arnett has acted in one of Cooper's films.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the 2025 GQ Men of the Year celebration in Los Angeles on Thursday, Nov. 13, theArrested Developmentalum said the experience was "all positive" — and he credits that to the ease of their longtime friendship.
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"I think you could run the risk of having that thing of worrying that you might not see eye to eye — or that you would have those [difficult] moments — and we just never did. It was all just good. It was all positive," says Arnett, who attended Thursday's event with girlfriendCarolyn Murphy.
"Everything that we did just fell into the positive category, which was amazing, and it made it so much easier to work on something that was really intensely emotional," he continues. "And because we do have that longtime friendship, we could really rely on each other and be really honest with each other."
When it comes to any differences of opinion between the two, Arnett says, "We just respect each other. And if there are moments where we don't, we always seem to come to some kind of an agreement."
"I don't know why. We never end it badly on opposing sides," he adds.
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WhenIs This Thing On?celebrated its world premiere at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) in October, Arnett reminisced about first meeting Cooper and later living in the same building as him when they were both starting their careers.
"I first met him at a bar here in New York with friends, and we instantly hit it off and became pals," he told PEOPLE at the time. "Then we were living in California, and I was looking for a place to stay, and he said, 'Oh, my neighbor's moving out of this back building that we shared.' "
Arnett ended up moving into the unit "next door" to theSilver Linings Playbookstar.
TheLego Moviestar also told PEOPLE at the NYFF premiere that the experience of getting to work on a film directed by Cooper was "very surreal."
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"The thrill of it and the novelty has not worn off," he said of shooting Cooper's movie, which also starsAndra Day, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds,Sean Hayes,Scott Icenogle,Peyton ManningandAmy Sedaris.Is This Thing On?is in theaters on Dec. 19.
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