and had a dramatic first meeting.
The pair appeared on Friday’s Show to discuss their Oscar-nominated new film Maestro.
Bradley, 49, stars as American conductor Leonard Bernstein in while Carey, 38, plays his wife Felicia Montealegre.
, things didn’t get off to the best start when they first met, as Bradley recalled having to take Carey to the hospital.
He shared: ‘She was doing a play in the West Village of Manhattan, and I went to the first preview, which is sacrilege.
‘It was a one-woman show, and she came out and the key light was on her, she looked just like Felicia, who’s Lenny’s wife… so I went to meet her backstage.’
Bradley told Graham and his fellow guests Bryan Cranston, Bryce Dallas Howard, Daniel Kaluuya and Kevin Bridges how one of the sets had hit Carey in the top of the head halfway through the play.
Carey remembered: ‘It’s a 90-minute monologue, and maybe half an hour before the end, I got hit on the head [by a piece of the set] quite badly, but I carried on because no one saw it.
‘It was in a blackout… and then it finished, and I got off stage, and I just couldn’t stop crying. I thought I was really a goner.’
She continued: ‘I was sobbing on the floor, and the director was trying to calm me down. And then someone came in and said, “Sorry, so sorry. Bradley Cooper’s just [arrived]”.’
She went on: ‘He came in and looked me in the eye and was like, “You’re not all right!” And it was like, get in the car, went to the emergency room. The nurse was delighted.’
‘It got me a job, so totally worth it,’ Carey then joked.
for multiple Academy Awards at this year’s ceremony, including Best Picture and Best Actor and Best Actress for Bradley and Carey.
It turns out Carey isn’t the only actress Bradley has taken to the hospital in the past.
The Silver Linings Playbook star spoke about also while at a restaurant.
Bradley admitted: ‘It was crazy,’ as he recalled trying to figure out which hospital to get to because he lived across the street and they called for him to come and help.
Fellow guest Bryan Cranston questioned: ‘Why did they call you though? “Let’s get an actor, get him in!”‘
The Graham Norton Show airs Fridays on BBC One and iPlayer.
