That music in the background of Bradley Cooper’s cell phone might be one of the many live performers on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, where the former Alias star is now strolling — or perhaps not.

“I pay a band to follow me wherever I go,” Cooper quips, “because I’m pretty famous, you know.”

Apparently his fame has grown since the final appearance of his character, journalist Will Tippin, in last season’s finale of the ABC espionage drama Alias.

“More people stop me now than ever, way more, saying, ‘What happened? Are you dead? Why aren’t you back on the show?’ I have to keep explaining to them, ‘I’m not coming back. Sorry.'”

When last seen, Will was seemingly bleeding to death in a tub in CIA agent Sydney Bristow’s apartment, where he’d been deposited by Allison, the murderous DNA-altered double of Sydney’s dead friend Francie.

By episode’s end, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) and everyone else had been catapulted two years ahead in time, which everyone knew except Sydney, who lost a big chunk of memory. She did learn that Will had survived, and has been trying ever since to figure out where her lost two years went.

Although Cooper won’t be rejoining the cast full-time, we do learn what happened to Will in those years in “Remnants,” this Sunday’s episode of Alias, which also features Merrin Dungey as Allison.

“Will has been in witness protection for two years in Wisconsin,” Cooper says. “Sydney needs information to figure out who she was for two years, and Will has information that could help her figure out what happened. So she has to go and get Will out of witness protection to help her find something out. So they go on a mission together.”

Cooper says fans should prepare themselves for a very different Will Tippin. “He’s a foreman for a construction company. Big change. He’s incognito.

“He’s wearing the big boots. He’s not sporting the flannel. He’s sporting the long undies. He looks much different, though. He shaved his head for one thing, just clipped it with the clippers.”

When reminded that Allison’s beau, the evil Sark (David Anders), has also gone for the super-short look this season, Cooper says, “I think he has his hair done. There’s a big difference between Will putting the clippers to his head, and Sark. Sark has that hair cut with scissors, I’d say.”

Asked if Will gets to see some action in “Remnants,” Cooper says, “There’s a little bit of juice going on, a little bit of sass.”

ON TV

Program: Alias

Airs: 9 p.m. Sundays on WPLG-Ch. 10, WPBF-Ch. 25