July 2012- GQ: Where In The World Is Cooper Draven

[cooperdraven]

Where In The World Is Cooper Draven?
by Sean Flynn

When I first found him my first impression was "He got skinnier." Which I thought couldn't possibly be healthy. When I met him at GQ's Sundance Party his arm had been around a pretty blonde, and he seemed cheery. On the surface. His suit didn't fit quite right and his hair wasn't quite clean. That was January, before one of the hottest actors of 2011 disappeared into the night. A flash in the pan. A one hit wonder. But 7 months removed, fresh suit, fresh haircut and brand new smile, it seems the dead man has risen. But what would drive a 25 year old, at the height of his professional career to disappear without a word?

Aside from his well publicized role in the Dark Knight Rises as Police Detective John Blake(Draven skipped the premiere, citing health reasons.) Cooper Draven has been mostly silent. He had signed on to play the Scarlet Speedster Flash in the Justice League television series and had begun a 4 picture deal with DC Animated Studios to voice Batman himself. All of a sudden, as quickly as he had blown up as the aspiring writer/comedian on cult hit It's Daytime he was gone. No explanation, no new projects and no one really cared.

He said the problems started when his well publicized tumultuous relationship with former actress Cassie Carmichael started to crack. The two broke up, the fourth break-up for Cooper Draven in just a year. Draven, always a notorious substance "dabbler" in his words fell back into an demon he thought he had banished earlier in his life. Prescription painkillers, more specifically Codeine and Vicodin had become a daily indulgence. "One pill in the morning. Kind of get me through the day." But pretty soon, he confesses the number grew to 4 or 5 and before long it was half a dozen every 4 hours. The pressures of Holywood had gotten to yet another young actor, burning out too soon and too fast.

It took a visit from friends Malcolm and Abigail Marr to convince him to get out of his New York City townhouse. What they didn't expect was what he did next. Cooper Draven sent his kids to Germany, under the care of former flame Nora, now a stage actress, before setting off to India drawing inspiration from the life changing trips The Beatles, Cooper's favorite band and idols, took to the country. India turned to Japan. Japan turned to China. China turned to Russia. Russia turned to Holland. And pretty soon Cooper Draven had been to every Western European country and had established the semblance of a new life in Paris. The itch to travel away and run away from the painkillers came quickly, taking him to South Africa and South America. It was in Caracas, Venezuela that Cooper Draven decided he was ready to come back to Hollywood.

"Flying wouldn't have been meaningful and I still had a lot to see." He drew inspiration from Argentinian Che Guevara and bought a motorcycle. an old World War II leftover that belongs in a museum. Cooper set on mimicking Che's legendary ride with a much loftier goal than Mexico City. A return to his native San Francisco, California before a final ride into Los Angeles.

It took him two months, suffering three broken fingers and a broken clavicle after losing control of the bike in the rain soaked highways of Southern Mexico. He rid on, arriving in San Francisco in time to see his beloved San Francisco Giants play the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"I didn't even shower or stop off at my house. I just rode to AT&T Park. Baseball's the thing I missed the most about being away from the states." After enjoying three portions of the famous Garlic Fries and buying a new jersey Cooper Draven knew he had but one choice. Go to Aurora, Colorado to grief with the victims of the horrific shooting on the night of The Dark Knight Rises' release and head back to Los Angeles.

"It was horrible. I felt like it was my fault. Like I pulled the trigger and I didn't even have anything to do with it. I met as many of them as I could. Hugged and cried with them. It was the most horrible thing I've ever heard of. But that community was so strong and honored their fallen so bravely. The fucker deserves to be kicked in the balls until he bursts." Cooper Draven traveled the world in seven months, found himself, got clean and finally got himself sober again. So where in the world is Cooper Draven? He's back in Hollywood and it better watch itself. Because if history is any indicator the opinionated Boy Wonder is just getting started.