After several eye catching supporting turns, comic force Bradley Cooper is set to make a big splash with The Hangover.

Best known as the guy you loved to hate in Wedding Crashers, Bradley Cooper's "Sack" Lodge lost his screen fiancee Rachel McAdams to Owen Wilson, only to win the heart of Hollywood in the process. If directors wished to stereotype him as a cad (he was caught in a love triangle with Jennifer Connelly and Scarlett Johansson in He's Just Not That Into You), then Cooper has other ideas. An Honours English graduate from the prestigious Georgetown University in Washington DC, he launched his career while still a student, appearing in TV's Sex And The City before making his New York stage debut as John Merrick in Bernard Pomerance's The Elephant Man. On TV, he's best known as Will Tippin from Alias while, on film, he co-starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in Failure To Launch and Jim Carrey in Yes Man.

2009, however, will surely prove to be Bradley Cooper's breakout year: he follows He's Just Not That Into You by making a 180 degree turn in the Renee Zellweger horror vehicle Case 39, as well as becoming the object of Sandra Bullock's affections in All About Steve. But most of all, he's excited about the buddy comedy The Hangover. The heat on the film is so intense that he's already been signed for a sequel.

Set in Las Vegas, Cooper admits that it's not exactly his favourite town. "Despite everything, we had a blast," he says. "I was worried that there'd be too much down time and I'd slip over to the 'dark side'. I can easily get into trouble in Vegas, so I tried to stay away from the gambling. On most shoots, when you finish work, you usually get in your car and go home where it's tranquil. We were all staying at Caesar's Palace so, no matter the hour, you come back to the casino and it's as if nothing has changed."

Despite his Vegas wanderings, Bradley Cooper has a warning to those ladies who may still view him as the macho loser from Wedding Crashers. "That film definitely allowed people to see what I could do, but I'd hate anyone to confuse me with Sack Lodge," the actor laughs. "In The Hangover, I'm not evil like Sack Lodge. Both characters are aggressive males, but they're very different. I gained a lot of weight to do Wedding Crashers, so when people meet me, they're like, 'Oh man, I thought you were bigger!' To be opposite Vince Vaughn and have audiences believe that I could destroy him in a football game, I had to gain weight. I look a lot better now, right?"

Ladies, please form a line here.

The Hangover is released on June 11.