Bradley Cooper looks back on first TV role as Sex and the City party boy: 'I was terrified'

Bradley Cooper is taking a walk down memory lane.

The Maestro star and director received the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Thursday, where he also participated in a career retrospective when his first on-camera role on Sex and the City as "Jake the downtown smoker" came up.

He told the crowd that he was "terrified" to take on the role of the sports car-driving party boy in the hit show's second season. “I auditioned for it, and at that time I didn't really realize that you could ever get the job,” recalled Cooper. "Honestly, I thought that, like, I had a job as a doorman at Morgans Hotel, and then I was lucky enough to audition."

He continued, “I remember when I got the call to do it I was terrified. ‘What do you mean I'm actually going to have to do it?’ I couldn't drive a stick shift, so they sent me to Models Driving School and I was just terrified.”

In the end, his fear may have been partly justified, as he says he "still messed it up" when it came time to drive. "So they had somebody else drive the car and I just had to pretend that we stopped," he said as he mimicked someone fake driving.

The actor, who joked that he feels "old" learning it's been 25 years since his TV debut and realized recently “s---, I've been around, dude," has indeed come a long way since his time on SATC. In addition to his new SBIFF honors, Cooper is a 12-time Oscar nominee. This year alone he's up for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, all for Maestro.

Watch Cooper discuss his SATC role and other career highlights below.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Bradley Cooper revealed himself as Gilmore Girls fan to star Scott Patterson: 'Luke!'
• Bradley Cooper took Carey Mulligan to the emergency room the day they met
• See top 2024 Oscars contenders for Best Picture, Actor, Actress, and more