“It was over”: Bradley Cooper Went Out of His Way to Perfect 1 Iconic Scene from Maestro that He Kept Messing Up
Known for his work as a writer and director along with being an incredible actor, Bradley Cooper has left everyone in awe. From intense, emotion-heavy performances like A Star Is Born to comedic and light performances like The Hangover, he has mastered it all. However, the sheer hard work and effort behind those roles go unnoticed sometimes.
Cooper’s Brilliant Acting In Maestro
The recent Variety Actors on Actors chat between long-time friends Emma Stone and Bradley Copper revealed some behind-the-scenes facts about their respective films Poor Things and Maestro. With Cooper and Carey Mulligan in the lead, Maestro tells the love story of American conductor Leonard Bernstein and Costa Rican actress Felicia Montealegre. Gritty conducting scenes and heartfelt romance make this one of the best releases of 2023. Cooper trained for almost six years to perfectly emulate Bernstein’s character. Since the story is based on true incidents, Cooper had to be extra careful and get all the details right.
I messed up the whole first day. The minute I was behind tempo, it was over. So I woke up in the morning, walked into that church, and it was empty — we’re not supposed to shoot there that day. I was like, I got to give it one more shot. I brought everybody back in, and I actually said a prayer to Lenny in front of everybody, like, “Thank you for this opportunity. We’re going to do it again.” That’s what’s in the movie. It was one take.
Cooper’s innate love for music helped him get into Bernstein’s shoes for the movie. Initially, the thought was to have Steven Speilberg direct the movie, as revealed by Cooper. He used to love conducting as a kid and Speilberg knew that.
Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny. I asked Santa Claus for a baton when I was around 8 years old, and then I would just conduct all the time because there was classical music playing in my house. I would spend hours and hours.
The conversation goes on to outline how real maestros feel on stage, directing an entire orchestra in front of thousands of people. Cooper further says that it feels like an out-of-body experience.
Emma Stone’s Mother Loved Maestro
Stone compliments Cooper on his performance while Cooper expresses his admiration for the actress in Poor Things. Stone and her mother went to Cooper’s house to see Maestro and it left them wrecked. They exchange notes on how they prepped for their specific roles. Stone said,
You were also writing, directing, and producing. You were in every single facet of that experience. That’s so much to take on. But it is interesting that these projects began in 2017, and then we made them years later. For both of us, this lived in the same frame of time, where even when you’re not actively prepping, it’s weirdly working its way inside of you because you’re thinking about it so much.
To this, Cooper claims that he did not want to blame anyone else in case Maestro failed as a movie. He wanted the freedom to make the movie as he wanted and live with the burden if it did not do well.
