Bradley Cooper has come out with yet another music-infused directorial venture with ‘Maestro’. The film is a biography of the life and music of Leonard Bernstein. It mainly focuses on his marital life with actress Felicia Montealegre and his open marriage due to the musical maverick’s homosexuality.
Bradley Cooper worked as a director on the Lady Gaga-starrer ‘A Star Is Born’. After five years, Cooper is back with ‘Maestro’, which got a seven-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. Recently, he sat down with the veteran director Spike Lee and talked about how he keeps his set energized with a ‘no-chair’ policy, which has received wide criticism on the internet.
Related: The Story Of Resilience Behind The Six-Minute Conducting Scene In Bradley Cooper-Starrer ‘Maestro’
Bradley Cooper Thinks People’s Energy Dip After They Sit On A Chair
During Variety’s ‘Directors on Directors’ series, Bradley Cooper sat with Spike Lee to discuss the protocols on the sets of ‘Maestro’. Bradley admitted that he had a ‘no chair policy’ on the sets of ‘Maestro’. He said, “There’s no chairs on sets; I’ve always hated chairs and I feel like your energy dips the minute you sit down on a chair.” He prefers to sit on apple boxes.
Bradley Cooper also said that there is ‘no video village’ on his sets. Cooper does not have any monitors on his set for the actors to see their performances, as he prefers to get more involved with his actors. He added, “I hate that. [I want to] create a sacred space where things are really occurring in real time.”
The ‘Hangover’ actor added, “I actually think going back and watching it and hearing it, I think that’s a vulnerable thing for an actor to hear. No one likes the sound of their own voice anyway. So, I want to make actors feel safe to be fearless.” However, this has landed the director in a pool of criticism.
In Case You Missed: ‘Maestro’ Portrays Leonard Bernstein’s Sexuality And Open Marriage. How Much Of It Is True?
Netizens Attack The Actor Over His No Chair Policy Statement
In 2020, Anne Hathaway revealed that Christopher Nolan does not allow chairs on his sets. He believes that if actors are sitting, they are not working. This attracted ire from journalists and film critics, prompting a spokesperson to bust the myth that there are no chairs on his sets.
In a similar manner, Bradley Cooper also received flak for not allowing chairs on the no chair policy.
having no chairs on set is downright cruel and inconsiderate. https://t.co/uQvlx9knoI
— Nafis (@nafss_1998) December 14, 2023
oh he’s Oscar hungry alright https://t.co/IylJCV6VK8
— 🥚 (@pechupops) December 14, 2023
He thinks he’s Nolan. Bring back chairs!
— pieck finger (@CinemaLord1) December 15, 2023
Wanted to see Maestro. Until I read about Bradley Cooper proudly stating how he had no chairs for ppl to use on set. Like wtf!?
— Rae Ro Ford 🏳️🌈♌️ (@rrfchica80) December 17, 2023
It's a film set not an Amazon warehouse, calm down Bradley.
— All Things Movies (@ThatMoviePage) December 15, 2023
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