Danny McBride Reveals How Bradley Cooper Decided to Be Part ofThe Righteous GemstonesSeason 4(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Danny McBride as Jesse Gemstone in ‘The Righteous Gemstones;’ Bradley Cooper in 2024.Photo:Connie Chornuk/HBO; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Connie Chornuk/HBO; Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty

Bradley Coopermay have needed just a little nudge to sign on to appear in the fourth and final season ofThe Righteous Gemstones.

Danny McBride— who created the HBO comedy series and plays eldest Gemstone sibling Jesse — exclusively opened up to PEOPLE about casting Cooper, 50, during the season 4 premiere in Los Angeles on March 5.

“You know what? I would imagine that I would’ve had to persuade him,” says 48-year-old McBride, who attended the premiere with wifeGia Ruiz, of Cooper’s appearance in episode one. “I sent him the script and he called me back pretty quickly. He liked what was presented.“

“What was interesting is [Cooper] had actually never seenThe Gemstonesbefore, but he didn’t want to watch it until we were done shooting,” McBride adds. “He didn’t want it to influence him, which I appreciate. I thought that was a good way to approach this.”

Danny McBride and Bradley Cooper in ’s ‘Aloha’ from 2015.Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube

Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube

McBride and Cooper have previously worked together, co-starring in the 2015 filmAloha,which also starsEmma Stone,Rachel McAdams,Bill MurrayandJohn Krasinski.

The Righteous Gemstones,which also starsAdam DeVineandJohn Goodman, follows a family of televangelists who find wealth in running a renowned megachurch and try to protect their religious empire.

McBride acknowledged thatThe Righteous Gemstoneshas taught viewers to “expect the unexpected” and that the first episode of the final season exhibits a certain level of unexpected intensity.

“That was part of it as we were going for this last season — I wanted to push ourselves to not fall into formula and routine,” he says. “There was something interesting about starting this season with something that goes so far back in time and shows you a glimpse of maybe how it all began.”

Danny McBride a Jesse Gemstone in a ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ scene.Jake Giles Netter/HBO

Jake Giles Netter/HBO

AsThe Righteous Gemstonescomes to an end, McBride is looking back at writing the show, which premiered in 2019 and will conclude in May.

He adds that cast surprised him with the “humanity” they brought to “these kinds of despicable characters.”

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“What I’ll miss most is honestly just seeing all these faces every day,” McBride says of his cast. “This was a beautiful job. It was a lot of fun. I had a blast doing it, and I really made some great friends on this thing.”

“I mean, some of these people that we work with are just so kind and so talented and so much fun that, yeah, I’ll miss church lunch,” he continues. “Those days were always a lot of fun, but I’ll make sure that I stay working with some of these cats again. Absolutely.”

Season 4 ofThe Righteous Gemstonespremiered on HBO on March 9.

source: people.com