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As the handsome, blue-eyed hero of movies like “The Hangover” and “American Sniper,” Bradley Cooper could likely have his pick of starlets, models and influencers to romance.
So it’s no wonder there was intrigue in Hollywood when Page Six first revealed that he is quietly dating Huma Abedin: Hillary Clinton’s forever faithful chief of staff and the long-suffering former wife of disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner.
On the face of it, they might seem like an odd couple. The outgoing LA-based actor is now in the midst of directing and filming the high-minded Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” while enigmatic New Yorker Abedin has, for 25 years, been the keeper of secrets, optics and logistics for Clinton and trafficked in the policy-wonk world of Washington, DC.
But insiders and experts say that, while it is still in the early days, the relationship boosts both of their profiles — and that Cooper, 47, and Abedin, 45, could become the next George and Amal Clooney-style power couple: a meeting of Hollywood and politics.
In September 2014, Hollywood heartthrob George married British barrister Amal in a high-profile wedding in Venice, Italy. That pairing seemed unlikely at first — George, after all, had previously been linked to a string of little-known actresses and TV presenters (Elisabetta Canalis, Krista Allen, Lisa Snowdon) as well as a professional wrestler (Stacy Keibler). If the man had a type, it was hardly “lawyer specializing in international human rights.”
“There is no question that having Amal in my life changed everything for me,” George, now 61, said in 2020. “It was the first time that everything that she did and everything about her was infinitely more important than anything about me.”
Now, of course, it all makes sense.
Their pairing led to the Amal Clooney Effect, which flipped stereotypical relationship dynamics and introduced the idea of a trophy husband for an accomplished, intellectual woman.
Amal, 44, has taught at Columbia Law School and represented such clients as Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad. She has addressed the UN on matters including genocide against the Yazidi people, sexual violence as a weapon of war and, in April, urging punishment for war crimes being committed by Russia against Ukraine.
George’s fame has brought a new level of attention to Amal’s work without making her seem frivolous, while she’s lent him a sense of gravitas that’s hard to come by in Hollywood. Especially for a man who, while trying to bolster a serious directing career with films such as “Good Night, and Good Luck,” is still mocked for the nipples on his 1997 Batman outfit.
Since marrying Amal —who shares 5-year-old twins Alexander and Ella with George — the actor has focused more on his humanitarian work. Together, they founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice in 2016, which led to calls for him to enter the political arena. (He has publicly declined, in his smooth George Clooney way.)
He charmingly knows how to play her reputation to his favor, too. In 2018, the Oscar winner took the podium at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon by introducing himself as “Hi, I’m George, and I’m Amal Clooney’s husband.”
Now, global branding and public relations expert Mark Borkowski told The Post of Abedin and Cooper: “It has all the potential of having one of the most interesting power relationships we’ve seen since Amal and Clooney.”
For one thing, it could be a chance for Abedin to finally shake her reputation as Anthony Weiner’s beleaguered ex-wife and Clinton’s lackey.
“She has all this back history: Hillary, the husband and the laptop,” Borkowski said, referring to how, just before the 2016 presidential election, an investigation of Weiner’s computer led to a reopened FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of private emails when she was secretary of state.
“Like a moth to a flame she is drawn to fame and celebrity, and dating a hot celebrity is a good way to show she is still relevant,” one political insider added. “It makes her current. Her book [2021 memoir ‘Both/And‘] got good reviews, and now she’s moving on from this terrible marriage.”
As for Cooper, “It does give Bradley a platform to be seen more seriously —and to take on more cerebral matters rather than the usual showbiz piffle.”
Nine-time Academy Award nominee Cooper has vented his frustration at not being taken seriously. Speaking on Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes’ “SmartLess” podcast in June, he said he was still treated like an impostor among the Hollywood elite, admitting he has wondered: “What the f–k is this town?”
In 2018, he told the New York Times how he was infuriated when filmmakers would try to cast him in the same roles. “Because you’re like, ‘I have these big dreams, and I feel these things.’ Is that all wrong? Like, shame on anybody that’s going to tell you who you are. That angers me. It’s like, someone’s going to tell you who you are, what you’re capable of … They just truly believe that each person gets one dimension.”
An influential Hollywood source said that Cooper put his “heart and soul” into directing and starring in 2018’s “A Star Is Born” with Lady Gaga — only to have it ripped to shreds. “Bradley was devastated not to win the Oscar for that movie. He put everything he had into it.”
The Hollywood source added: “While whoever anyone is dating does not guarantee Oscars or a movie hit, it can change the perspective on someone as an artist in Hollywood.
“Huma has a vast network of very wealthy and powerful contacts and world leaders. She can make important introductions for Bradley which could be a valuable source of financing for the independent movies he wants to make.”
Borkowski, meanwhile, noted that “Having a devout Muslim partner would project him in a different light, in terms of her global impact.”
Cooper has also long been a Democratic supporter, having donated to Clinton’s campaign in 2008, been an outspoken advocate of Obamacare and appearing at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
But political insiders say his relationship with Abedin may well boost his stature in Democratic and wider political circles. Cooper, a self-confessed “fan of politics,” was asked in 2012 if he would ever run for office. “I don’t know, I actually think it is a very noble profession,” he said. When pressed for a more direct answer, he said, “Yeah,” adding the job comes with “tons of respect.” (Unless, of course, your name is Weiner.)
One top Democratic insider said, “Huma is a very smart woman who has a lot of powerful contacts across the world. This relationship will open up doors for Bradley Cooper that were previously shut.
“The idea of him running seems a long shot at the moment, but you could see him start to appear on panels or advisory committees.”
And besides, the political insider added, “Let me tell you something — nobody is more entitled to go out and have some fun than Huma Abedin.”
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