Bradley Cooper Went a Little Too Method For ‘Maestro’

By Allyson Johnson | Celebrity | December 14, 2023 |

By Allyson Johnson | Celebrity | December 14, 2023 |

Bradley Cooper has gone full politician mode in promoting his upcoming film, Maestro, which, in case you didn’t know, he directed and starred in and offered up a piece of his soul for the success of. Every Oscar season has some level of cringe chasing it. On the less egregious scale, there are the actors you don’t think of as being limelight eager, who show up at every single ‘For Your Consideration’ style event or round table. This isn’t bad, but it is just another reminder that most people in Hollywood seek the attention and validation from the awards season. The more abrasive type is the Andrea Riseborough approach, where the result ends with women of color being pushed out of the Best Actress category.

Then there’s whatever the hell Cooper has going on, which is schmaltzy, smug, and embarrassing, though no one in his corner will ever think so. Waltzing his six-year-old daughter onto the red carpet for a film she decidedly won’t be sitting through? Come on, dude. If only he’d been nominated for Best Director for A Star is Born, we might’ve avoided some of this mess — and surely he could’ve taken Adam McKay’s spot for Vice of all things. Instead, Cooper’s ego was bruised, so the guy has to come and pull out all the stops.

His need for validation is given the spotlight in his recent interview with director Spike Lee for Variety. From start to finish, some moments irritate and showcase a director who is still green. In regard to Maestro, he says that he, the 48-year-old man, “grew up on this movie,” and perhaps he needs to do a little more of it.

Out of the gate, he’s dismissive of factors on most sets, declaring that there will be “no chairs” on his sets, claiming that “I’ve always hated chairs on sets; your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair. There’s no video village.”

It comes across as ableist and foolish, even if he’s speaking in broad terms.

But perhaps one of the most annoying revelations is that he decided that he should be adopting some method acting techniques. Method acting has a long, divisive history that, yes, has reaped solid results but also often makes you look like an asshole. If you’re going to go method, make it mean something.

Cooper tells Lee that he learned from Christian Bale on the set of American Hustle, noting that Bale would stay in his character’s voice without going too far into method territory — i.e., not using phones.

“LEE: When you’re on the set, you give instructions in Lenny’s voice?

COOPER: Yes. I was playing Lenny throughout his life. I would spend three to six hours in the makeup trailer every day before the crew arrived. It was hilarious, because on days when I was young Lenny, the energy of the set was faster and we got more done. And then when I was old Lenny, it had a slower gear. If you ask the crew or cast, Lenny directed the movie.”

It’s a farce. I’ve liked Cooper as an actor. I like A Star is Born. But his recent self-congratulatory parading makes me embarrassed I did. Learn from others in the field that sometimes too much exposure is harmful. And to think we still have over a month until the Oscar nominations are announced.