Bradley Cooper Reflects on Attending His 30-Year High School Reunion in Philadelphia: 'It Was Awesome'

Cooper reunited with his high-school classmates at a Philadelphia brewery last month to celebrate three decades since their graduation

You can take Bradley Cooper out of Philly, but he'll always find his way back!

The Maestro star and director recently attended his 30th high-school reunion, held at Chestnut Hill Brewing Company in Philadelphia, and opened up about the "great" experience on Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

"I was early and I put the sign out front," said Cooper, 48, going on to shout out his school: "It said, 'Germantown Academy.' And then people came and I welcomed them and I put my nametag [on]."

"But when I was in high school, I used to go by Brad, and now I go by Bradley," he told host Jimmy Fallon. "I felt like I was some weird imposter, but that is my real name, is Bradley."

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Related: Chris Evans Surprises His Former Classmates at Their 20-Year High School Reunion

The brewery itself made a post on social media on Nov. 28 sharing photos from the reunion, including one of Cooper sporting a wide smile and, as noted, the "Bradley" nametag.

"Thank you @germantownacademy for hosting your class of 1993 reunion with us! We had the honor of hosting a special guest! You never know who you'll run into at the Taproom!" the caption read.

"That's Bucky Holmes," Cooper told Fallon, 49, of the man he was photographed with, their arms around one another. "I was always so jealous of that [name], man."

Asked by the host whether anyone "freak(ed)" out considering the actor's fame now, Cooper said, "No. It was really — it was awesome."

"It was just regular. I think it was just like, time had passed, and it was just cool," he added. "There was a guy [at a reunion] before ... and he was not cool, but he wasn't there."

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This isn't the first time Cooper has reconnected with his classmates. He also went to the 25-year reunion, he told Fallon — and to mark their 20-year graduation milestone in November 2013, the Hangover star returned to his alma mater in nearby Fort Washington to catch up with friends from the class of 1993 and visit his favorite teachers.

“He has come back to GA a couple of times to talk to students,” a school official told PEOPLE at the time. “He loves seeing his old teachers and enjoys reminiscing with them. When he says he’s going to do something for the school, he does it. He’s a big supporter and proud to be a part of this school. So it was no surprise that he came to the reunion.”

During the latter reunion, Cooper roamed the halls with his former history teacher Kendall Mattern and toured the school’s new buildings. Later that night, Cooper and his pal and fellow classmate Brian Klugman attended the reunion party at MaGerk’s Pub & Grill, where they chatted with friends.

“He was definitely having a great time,” said an onlooker. “He made his rounds and made sure to talk to everyone. He had fun catching up and hearing about their lives. There was lots of laughing and joking going on. He really loved seeing everyone.”

The onlooker added of Cooper, “He didn’t act like a movie star. Just a normal guy who was personable and friendly.”

Maestro is now streaming on Netflix.

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