You can read here about how he was a loser in L.A. until recently here.

Even now that he’s successful, he’s still fighting for roles. And even losing sometimes — Cooper said that he screen tested and tried to earn the right to don the tights of the Green Lantern, but the ring slipped out of his grasp. After this weekend’s expected box office success (with Limitless) that may not happen much more. Like, for example, when it comes to “The Great Gatsby,” the big screen adaptation of which he is hoping to be a part.