It’s an actor’s job to take on different personalities – but fans think Bradley Cooper has taken it a step too far, fearing he’s morphed into a different man entirely.
The Hangover star stepped out with girlfriend Gigi Hadid after her Vogue cover party in mid-September, but the 50-year-old’s evolving look was the talk of the town, with confused fans admitting they thought he was Charlie Sheen.
‘For a thousandth of a second, I looked at this photo and thought Bradley Cooper was Charlie Sheen,’ one shocked person wrote.
‘Very Charlie Sheen-esque,’ agreed someone else, with someone else declaring: ‘You can’t fool me that’s Charlie Sheen.’
‘Not wearing my glasses and totally thought he was Charlie Sheen in the first photo,’ another confused fan wrote.
Plastic surgeons have since analyzed photos to discuss the procedures that Cooper, 50, may have undergone that resulted in his new look.
Dr. Rian Maercks, the founder of The Maercks Institute, told the Daily Mail he believes the Academy Award-nominated actor may have undergone a procedure to tighten the neck or the lateral borders of the face to achieve a more youthful look.
However, the expert said that because the procedure doesn’t target the central face, it has changed Cooper’s overall look.
Bradley Cooper’s evolving look was the talk of the town – with confused fans admitting they thought he was Charlie Sheen
‘Bradley Cooper appears to show midfacial descent – the natural downward migration of tissues in the central face as we lose the ligamentous support that once held them,’ he continued.
‘The result is a visual disconnect: a firm jawline and neck juxtaposed against a central face that continues to descend.’
The surgeon, who has not treated Cooper, said that this ‘imbalance’ is likely why fans are comparing him to Charlie Sheen.
Dr. Marecks added that this is ‘one of the most common pitfalls’ of contemporary face-lifting techniques.
‘[They] often emphasize lateral dissection while neglecting the true foundation of facial aging – the central facial ligaments,’ he explained.
According to Dr. Marecks, sometimes the imbalance on the face is compounded by exogenous fillers placed in the lower cheek region.
‘Instead of rejuvenating, they can exaggerate heaviness or create a caricature-like resemblance, which is perhaps why some fans are making comparisons,’ he said.
‘Ultimately, truly natural rejuvenation comes from respecting and supporting the deeper ligamentous architecture of the face, not just pulling at the edges or layering on filler,’ he continued.
Fans described his altered appearance as ‘very Charlie Sheen-esque’ (Sheen pictured in 2013)
According to plastic surgeons, Cooper, 50, looks like he has undergone a procedure to tighten the neck or the lateral borders of the face, to achieve a more youthful look. Pictured: In 2013 (left) and 2025 (right)
However, Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Dr. John Diaz, said Cooper’s apparently different appearance appears to be caused by a combination of aging changes occurring throughout his face
‘That’s the difference between results that look subtly timeless versus those that attract online speculation.’
However, Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Dr. John Diaz, said Cooper’s apparently different appearance appears to be caused by a combination of aging changes occurring throughout his face.
‘For example, there is loss of volume below his eyelid and cheekbone, which causes hollowness and shadowing in these areas and makes him look different than before,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘There is also some descent of the tip of the nose, thinning of the lips, and loss of upper lip projection, which also all happens with aging,’ Dr. Diaz continued. ‘The middle of his eyebrows is very low, but this is very common in men, and is a feature he has always had.’
If anything, Dr. Diaz said Cooper may have had Botox injected too low on his forehead, which caused the eyebrows to drop slightly.
‘I do not see anything that suggests he has had fillers or surgery of the face, however,’ he shared.
‘I reviewed his recent photos and compared them to multiple photos taken from different time periods, and my conclusion is that most of the differences we are seeing are due to the normal aging processes,’ Dr. Diaz concluded.
Cooper was previously married to actress Jennifer Esposito for less than a year before they divorced after just four months of marriage in 2007.
Since beginning his relationship with Hadid in 2023, the stars have tried to keep their romance low-profile.