Bradley Cooper on 'insane' moment he was held at knifepoint on NYC subway: 'My guard was down'

Bradley Cooper is opening up about a time he was held up at knifepoint.

During an appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, Cooper revealed he was held at knifepoint on a New York City subway in October 2019 while on his way to pick up his daughter Lea De Seine from Russian school. Cooper shares the 4-year-old with ex Irina Shayk.

"I got held up at knifepoint," Cooper, 46, said on Monday's episode of the podcast. "It was pretty insane. I realized I had gotten way, way too comfortable in the city. My guard was down."

Cooper said he "felt somebody coming up" to him "at the end of the subway." While he initially thought the stranger wanted "to take a photo or something," Cooper said he quickly realized the encounter wasn't friendly.

"I’m up against the post like it’s the 'French Connection' or some (expletive), and I turned. I looked down and I see a knife," Cooper recalled. "I look up, I see the person’s eyes, and I’m taken by how young they are."

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Cooper said he had "headphones on the whole time" and couldn't "hear anything" from the male assailant. "I’m just listening to music," he said. "The whole thing was scored."

The actor's fight or flight response kicked in. Cooper said he knocked the suspect's arm up with his own elbow and fled.

"I just started booking, just started running," he recalled. "I jumped over the turnstile, hid around the white, tiled entrance to the subway (and) took my phone out. (The suspect) jumped over, running away. I took a photo of him. Then I chased him up the stairs. He started running up 7th Avenue. I took two more photographs of him."

Cooper said he then flagged down "two police officers in an SUV" for help and showed the officers the photographs he snapped.

"I’m talking to them and the (officer) kept saying …'Are you stabbed?' I was like, 'No, no.' He was like, 'Check to see if you’re stabbed,' " Cooper said, explaining that "people get stabbed" and don't realize it at first because "they’re in shock."

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The "A Star Is Born" actor said he was not injured and returned to the subway to finish his trip. "I got back on the subway and picked up my daughter. It was crazy," he said.

Cooper said he kept the incident to himself, not even telling his closest friends.

"How are we best friends and I'm just learning you got held up?" Shepard said.

Cooper replied, "I never told you that."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bradley Cooper reveals he was held at knifepoint on NYC subway in 2019