First pics of Bradley Cooper as the Elephant Man

Bradley Cooper's quest for credibility has seen him take up the title role in a stage version of 'The Elephant Man' - and we have the first pictures.

What better way to prove you're more than a pretty face than playing the Elephant Man? The play is based on the life of the severely deformed English man Joseph Merrick, who was famously played by John Hurt in David Lynch's classic film. Take a look at Cooper as the Elephant Man below...

The quest for credibility can certainly be a tough one for Hollywood hunks. Brad Pitt and George Clooney managed it over the past decade. Matthew McConaughey is the middle of a mini renaissance in terms of credibility and now Bradley Cooper is looking to prove himself a serious thesp.

Shame he looks like someone who has just had teeth pulled then...

Gone are the facial prosthetics you'd expect for the role, replaced istead with a slouched jaw, bent posture, some extra flab and a large hand. We can say with some confidence that even as this character he'd beat each of us here at Yahoo! Towers to the world's sexiest man prize.

Nice try Brad.