Bradley Cooper has a bizarre 'no chair' rule on his movie set — but not everyone agrees with his reason
Bradley Cooper is spilling the beans on why he doesn't allow chairs on his movie sets! While having a conversation with fellow filmmaker Spike Lee for Variety, the 'A Star Is Born' director and actor disclosed that he doesn't allow chairs on the sets of the movies he directs. “When I direct, I don’t watch playback. There are no chairs. I’ve always hated chairs on sets; your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair,” Cooper told Lee, as per Unilad. During the interview, Cooper also mentioned that he doesn't have a video village, an area on a movie set where the director and the other crew members gather to watch the live monitors.
Cooper who directed, penned the screenplay, and starred in the 2023 film 'Maestro' told Lee that he "executed exactly my vision" with the biopic that revolves around the romance between Leonard Bernstein (played by Bradley Cooper) and his wife Felicia Montealegre (essayed by Carey Mulligan). "And that was the result of just having so much time to think and write and prepare to act in this movie," Cooper further added, according to People magazine.
After the interview, Cooper's chair comment became a talking point for the fans. Then, many users poked fun at the renowned Hollywood actor and filmmaker on X (formerly known as Twitter). One social media user commented, “On my sets, I do not allow floors. My energy dips the minute I touch cement,” meanwhile another internet user went on to say, "As a wheelchair-bound actor, I feel like Bradley Cooper wouldn't let me on set." A third one jokingly said, “On my sets, I don't even allow cameras. It's all to be imagined in a theater of the mind. Pure cinema is theater. On a serious note -- what the actual hell, Cooper." Another user quipped, “Cooper better have a quick day then. I hate this militant style of directing. You look at a David Lynch shoot and there’s chairs everywhere. Don't agree with Nolan doing it either." Another one wrote, “I dare this man to stand 14 hours a day, 5 days a week, for a month. Millions of workers can tell him what 8 hours of continuous standing a day does to one's back and feet. The fact that he proudly forced his workers to endure this abuse made him a villain in my book."
Along with this, Cooper went to extreme lengths for a proper depiction of the legendary musician Leonard Bernstein in 'Maestro.' During an interview with People magazine, Jamie Bernstein, the eldest of Bernstein's three kids, raved over Cooper's dedication to the role. "We had no idea that Bradley had this level of intensity and commitment about a thing when he got it in his grip. There are even certain moments in the film, when he's in motion, where he looks so exactly like our dad it makes us gasp," Jamie told the media outlet.
While filming the movie 'Maestro', Cooper stayed in touch with Bernstein's three kids, Jamie, Alexander Bernstein, and Nina Bernstein. "The way he embraced us as he went along in this project — he was so open-hearted. We wound up feeling like we could trust him," Jamie further added. For those wondering, 'Maestro' had a limited theatrical release on November 22, 2023. Next month, it was released on Netflix, so you can watch it now on the streaming giant.