They have managed to avoid promoting their new movie The Words together at both the Philadelphia and New York screenings. But for the premiere of the film in Los Angeles this evening, former lovers and co-stars Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana had no choice.

And the pair certainly didn’t appear to be enjoying the ordeal either. Posing together for pictures on the red-carpet, at one point Bradley, 37, was seen looking up into the air, while his former girlfriend of three months, Zoe, 34, appeared to have her teeth clenched.

The actress recently dodged attending the New York and Philly screenings of the film, but most likely due to an arm injury. She had been spotted earlier in LA with a cast on her wrist, perhaps part of the reason why she choose to shy away from the red carpet. Zoe was spotted kissing Bradley for a scene on the Canada set of The Words last year.

The couple got together a few months after Zoe’s split with her fiancé and boyfriend of ten years Keith Britton last November. Bradley meanwhile, has counted Renee Zellweger and Jennifer Lopez among his ex girlfriends.

The Words, which also stars Olivia Wilde and Jeremy Irons, is slated for cinematic release on Friday The film tells the story of a struggling writer who plagiarises another man’s work – and in turn must pay the price.

The all-star cast also includes Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde. But tonight the cast was off, and there was no more excuses.

Despite her awkward demeanour, the stunning star showed Bradley what he was missing by looking fabulous in long-sleeve gold beaded dress, cinched at the waist by a metallic belt, highlighting her tiny torso.

The sheer attire had heavily embellishment protecting Zoe’s modesty in all of the right areas. The dress also featured a racy plunging cut at the back.

She paired the look with some matching satin heels and wore her brunette locks in a messy ponytail. And the Avatar star must have surely been relieved to have her mother on hand to lighten the uncomfortable air.

Asalia Nazario was seen accompanying her daughter to the event earlier in the day, as the pair left Zoe’s Los Feliz home.

Meanwhile, Bradley looked dapper on the red-carpet in one of his signature three-piece suits, this time in a black and grey checked variety. He wore a open-neck white shirt underneath and some black dress shoes.

According to reports, Bradley and Zoe split up after just three months together back in March after falling for each other on the set of the film, in which they play lovers.

‘They’re definitely not together,’ an insider told Us Weekly magazine at the time. However, a friend of Zoe’s told the magazine things were never that serious between the pair.

‘She and Bradley weren’t super serious at all,’ the insider said, adding that Zoe wasn’t too upset by the split.

Elite.