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HBO's comedy series The Righteous Gemstones returns with its fourth and final season. Crafted by Danny McBride and Jody Hill, The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 has a surprise cameo for the viewers. And it's none other than A Star is Born actor Bradley Cooper.
In The Righteous Gemstones Season 4, Bradley Cooper plays the role of Elijah Gemstone, the patriarchal head of the televangelist Gemstones family and Dr. Eli Gemstone's grandfather. The season premiere titled Prelude, the plot takes a peek at Elijah's backstory, portraying him as a 19th-century con artist in disguise as a preacher in the chaotic Civil War era.
Bradley Cooper is an acclaimed actor and filmmaker who has bagged multiple Academy Award nominations for his roles in American Sniper, Silver Linings Playbook, and A Star is Born. He has also won three Grammy awards for his work on the A Star is Born soundtrack.
Bradley Cooper as Elijah Gemstone in The Righteous Gemstones Season 4
Bradley Cooper plays the role of the Gemstone patriarch in The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 Episode 1. The narrative transports the audience to 1862 Virginia, where Elijah is depicted as an unscrupulous man who could do anything for money, from murdering a priest to pretending to be an imposter priest. Once Elijah understands the perks of being a religious man, he chooses to be a fake chaplain.
However, by the end of the episode, Elijah founded his family church and ditches his fake name 'Abel Grieves'. Elijah slowly turns to a religious man and gets saved from getting killed by the Union soldiers.
The synopsis of The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 reads,
"Follows a televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work. Despite constant bickering, Gemstone family ties run deep. In the fourth and final season, the family's codependence is tested as they attempt to move forward without letting go of their storied past."
The plot is based on a dysfunctional family of televangelist pastors, with Eli Gemstone (John Goodman) being the patriarchal head of the family and his children who mindlessly spend church donations. The Gemstone children include Danny McBride as Jesse Gemstone, Edi Patterson as Judy, and Adam DeVine as Kelvin.
Danny McBride on Bradley Cooper as Elijah Gemstone in The Righteous Gemstone Season 4
Show creator Danny McBride revealed why he chose Bradley Cooper to play the role of the patriarchal head of the Gemstones in a standalone historical throwback episode. He told Decider,
"You know, it felt like a fitting way to start the last season going back and showing maybe how this empire began. It just felt like it was a fun, creative thing to try to challenge ourselves with. As far as Bradley Cooper, you know I had no idea who was going to be in it."
McBride continued while Bradley Cooper might not have been a person from the television comedy, but he saw Cooper as the 'personification of a Gemstone ancestor.' He shared his thoughts on casting Bradley Cooper as Elijah Gemstone with the producers. When the showrunner asked Bradley, he agreed to do The Righteous Gemstones Season 4.
He revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Bradley Cooper shot the blazing heat of Charleston in a woolly suit for 10 days, and that too without any remuneration. He revealed,
"I never thought we'd get this guy of his stature to wear a period piece wool costume in 90 degrees weather for 10 days straight. And no money. It takes a very dedicated person to commit to that."
Interestingly, when McBride was asked whether Bradley Cooper had watched the show, he revealed that he did not. McBride explained the reason,
"He didn't want anything to influence his performance or his take on it."
Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Elijah Gemstone has added depth and a background to the Gemstone family's legacy. His character's mysterious past and unpredictable motives are set to shake things up in the finale episodes.
Catch The Righteous Gemstones Season 4 Episode 2 'You Hurled Me Into the Very Heart of the Sea' on March 16, 2025, at 7 PM PT on HBO.
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