Now that Bradley Cooper is an Oscar-nominated actor who commands top billing in critically-acclaimed films, he's open to talking about his struggles as an actor in Hollywood before he was a household name.

In the January issue of GQ, Cooper recalls his time working on the J.J. Abrams show Alias, which stars Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow. Despite having a recurring role as Bristow's best friend Will Tippin, Cooper was unhappy with his lack of screen time: “I would only work three days a week... And then for the second season, I got even more sidelined. I was like, ‘Ugh.’ And then next thing you know, I was like, ‘I want to f*****g kill myself.’"

With his growing frustration over his lack of work on Alias, Cooper then asked Abrams to write his character off. “J.J. was like, ‘OK,’ He probably would’ve fired me, anyway," Cooper quipped. He even considered quitting his acting career altogether: "At some point, you have to come to terms with 'The business just doesn’t want you,' you know what I mean?"

Cooper, 38, struggled with alcoholism, which interfered with his work. Once he became sober, he scored roles on shows like Nip/Tuck, Kitchen Confidential, and Wedding Crashers, which paved the way for where he is now. "I was doing these movies, and I got to meet Sandra Bullock and meet these people and work with them. And I’m sober, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m actually myself. And I don’t have to put on this air to be somebody else, and this person still wants to work with me? Oh, what the f**k is that about?’ I was rediscovering myself in this workplace, and it was wonderful."

You can catch Cooper in his latest film, American Hustle, which is out in theaters now.