Will Smith used an award acceptance speech to spout a suprising shoutout to fellow actor Bradley Cooper.
The endearing exchange occurred at the National Board of Review awards gala, an untelevised ceremony in the lead up to the Oscars.
Held in NYC this week, the gala brought a wide-range of stars, including Spike Lee, Chris Rock, and Julianne Moore.
But it was Smith's love for Cooper that grabbed some attention. Accepting his award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Venus and Serena Williams’ father in “King Richard,” Smith was generally flummoxed in his speech and suddenly pointed out Cooper's attractiveness.
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"I look at Bradley Cooper. I've seen pictures of him when he was young — he didn't look like this! He grew into that," Smith said to the audience, per The New York Times. "He let the dream blossom inside of him. I can't even concentrate, he's so beautiful."
Fun fact: Cooper was People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2011.
When it was time for Cooper to present an award, he acknowledged Smith's unexpected accolade and said: "I'm not gonna forget that, Will."
The 47-year-old seemed to be a compliment magnet, as Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman also said nice things about the actor when they accepted the award for Best Breakthrough Performance in “Licorice Pizza,” which also stars Cooper.
“It means so much to have Bradley Cooper give us this award,” said Haim, “because you were actually the first real actor we had ever acted with.”
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“Licorice Pizza” laid claim to increased Oscar chatter on this night, after having also won for Best Film and Best Director, Paul Thomas Anderson. Chris Rock, presenting the award to Anderson, capped off the oft-bawdy ceremony with, “I’m coming here for Paul Thomas Anderson, a person who has never cast me in anything. Not even to wash his car.”
Check out all the winners here.
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