Bradley Cooper cameos on “Abbott Elementary” to gently roast himself post-Oscars

If you thought Janine Teagues was a try-hard, just wait.

Bradley Cooper knows you think he's a bit of a try-hard. So what better show for him to guest star on than Abbott Elementary, home to ultimate try-hard Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson)?

Cooper guest-starred on the show in a special new episode that landed the post-Oscars time slot, making his appearance even more pointed. He plays himself, popping into Melissa's (Lisa Ann Walter) classroom when one of her students brings him in for show-and-tell after spotting him at a local deli.

“Whenever I’m in Philly, you know the deli across the street? That’s my first stop,” Cooper, who grew up in Pennsylvania, says. “My dad used to always take me there. They have the best hoagies in the city."

His second grade pal interjects, "Everybody wanted to take a picture with him, so I figured he was famous."

And it turns out that's about as well as the rest of the students and teachers of Abbott know him, too. Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), in her classic fashion, confuses The Holdovers with The Hangover, calling the gross-out comedy "heartwarming" until Gregory (Tyler James Williams) corrects her.

Janine names He's Just Not That Into You as her favorite Cooper film, which he says is really more of an ensemble project. Melissa calls him "the face of Alias," which he admits is not quite accurate.

Then, Janine reminds them that Cooper is currently starring in a critically acclaimed film, you know, the one he's been hitting the Oscar campaign trail hard for. But no one can name Maestro, which he wrote, directed, and starred in as famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Instead, Melissa thinks he's in Oppenheimer, which Ava (Janelle James) doubles down on when he gently corrects Melissa. “Are you sure? Everybody was in Oppenheimer," she quips.

The kids really only care about if Cooper was in Spider-Man, which leads him to do his Rocket Raccoon voice to prove he was in Guardians of the Galaxy. Another kid asks him why his teeth aren't whiter, to which he replies, "I can’t whiten them because they’re too sensitive."

Writer and producer Brittani Nichols previously teased Cooper's appearance to EW, saying, "The guest star is amazing. There'll be some fun moments to look back on once we reveal who it is. People will be shocked to see. It was almost given away so many times."

The last few weeks have seen the tail-end of an increasingly exhausting Oscar campaign that included Cooper revealing his shockingly open floor plan and the naked side effects of that and bizarre attempts to crucify Cooper for daring to want to win an Academy Award.

It was refreshing then to see Cooper stop by to honor his Pennsylvania roots (lest we forget how many scenes in Silver Linings Playbook he wears an Eagles jersey) and poke a bit of fun at himself. especially after Maestro's shutout at Sunday night's awards made him one of the most-nominated living people without an Oscar win to his credit.

It's okay Bradley; Philly still loves you anyway.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.