WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Trap.
Cooper lies about his daughter having leukemia in Trap and explains a lot about the character. Josh Hartnett stars as a serial killer disguised as a supportive father in Trap. Hartnett has made a big comeback in recent years after appearing in Black Mirror Season 6 and winner of Best Christopher Nolan Film Oppenheimer. Trap also features the film debut of Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka as pop singer Lady Raven, who plays an important role in the cast of Trap.
At the end of Trap, Cooper skillfully finds a way out of many difficult situations after Lady Raven exposes the truth about her serial killer identity to her family. Despite Cooper’s efforts to keep his murderous alter ego a secret, Lady Raven’s cunning strategy of breaking into his home with her daughter, Riley, played by Ariel Donoghue, leads to Cooper being surrounded by authorities. Cooper evaded capture the entire time Trap in several ways, one of which involved fabricating Riley’s cancer diagnosis.
Riley didn’t have leukemia in the trap – Cooper lied, so she was cast as the “dream girl”
Riley’s “Dreamer Girl” screening was Cooper’s way of getting behind-the-scenes VIP access
As part of Cooper’s impromptu escape plan from Lady Raven’s show, he lied about Riley having leukemia so that she would be cast as Lady Raven’s “Dreamer Girl”. Cooper learns from Lady Raven’s uncle in the crowd, who is played by M. Night Shyamalan, that Lady Raven is looking for a “Dreamer Girl” to come on stage with her and sing and sing. This is something that Lady Raven does this at all of her shows as a way to highlight one of her most loyal fans..
Although Cooper could not guarantee that Riley would be cast as the “Dreamy Girl”, he lied and said that she had cancer in the hopes that this would increase her chances through sympathy. Once Riley is finally selected as the “Dreamer Girl”, Cooper thinks everything is fine and won’t be questioned like other concert goers who become suspects. Cooper’s manipulation tactics work and Riley gets his moment on stage with Lady Raven while he avoids suspicion backstage.
How Cooper hid the fact that Riley didn’t have leukemia in the trap
He politely asked that no one mention this as it would anger Riley.
Cooper was adamant about telling everyone not to mention the fact that Riley had leukemia around her so she wouldn’t get upset. This way, Riley wouldn’t have a chance to reveal the truth saying she was completely healthy. Cooper also didn’t want Riley to feel singled out just because of her diagnosis, according to the lie justification. Cooper managed to maintain this facade until he discovered that everyone backstage would also be subject to a security check upon leaving. This forces him to reveal his disguise to Lady Raven in her dressing room, leading to the emotional ending of Trap.