Bradley Cooper starred in the 2013 film American Hustle alongside Christian Bale and took away valuable acting lessons. Bale, known for his immense dedication to his roles, extends this commitment to even extreme physical transformations. However, Bale’s dedication did not mean blocking out the real world, and this aspect helped Cooper during the filming of his recently released biopic, Maestro.
The Guardians of the Galaxy actor played the role of composer Leonard Bernstein in the film, which depicted his career and his marriage to Felicia Montealegre. Carey Mulligan delivers a brilliant performance in the pivotal female lead role.
Bradley Cooper Was Inspired By Christian Bale’s Approach To The American Hustle Role
Bradley Cooper sat down for a chit-chat with director Spike Lee on Variety’s Directors on Directors segment. In the conversation, Lee was very much interested to know how Cooper managed the double duty of directing and acting. The BlacKkKlansman director found Cooper’s rule of no chairs or video village on his set quite amusing.
The Hangover actor then shared how Christian Bale‘s methods influenced the execution of his Maestro role. Cooper, who shared the screen with The Dark Knight actor in David O. Russell’s crime drama American Hustle, observed how Bale stayed in the voice of his character throughout. Cooper revealed that he had heard stories about Daniel Day-Lewis adopting this approach, but he had never been able to figure it out.
Learning from Bale, he realized that he had been overthinking the process. The American Psycho actor continued to discuss his kids in character and showed no disappointment at seeing modern gadgets on the set of the 1980s film. Cooper has since followed a similar approach to staying in character. The Wedding Crashers actor shared with Lee on Variety’s segment:
“American Hustle was the first time I saw an actor stay in the voice of a character. It was Christian Bale. I had heard stories about Daniel Day-Lewis. I couldn’t figure out how someone could do that. Then I realized I was overthinking it. Christian just stayed in the voice, but we talked about his kids. It wasn’t like he saw an iPhone and had a heart attack. Ever since American Hustle, that’s how I’ve done it as an actor.”
Interestingly, Deadline reported that Bradley Cooper will reunite with Christian Bale in the spy thriller film Best of Enemies. Eric Warren Singer will write the script and Charles Roven will produce the film, both having worked with Cooper and Bale on American Hustle. The film will be based on the book of the same name by Eric Dezenhall and Gus Russo.
Bradley Cooper Stated That It Was Leonard Bernstein, Not Him, Who Directed Maestro
Bradley Cooper shared with Spike Lee that he was playing ‘Lenny’ throughout the years spent making the film. Cooper added that the set had a vibrant energy when he played the young Leonard Bernstein role. However, when he was in the old makeup of Bernstein, the set took on a “slower gear”. He shared that the crew would agree that Bernstein effectively directed this film. A Star is Born actor shared with Lee:
“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.”
In another interview with Deadline, Cooper mentioned attending his six-year-daughter Lea De Seine’s graduation dressed as Bernstein. He strategically planned the shoot location near her school so that he could attend the ceremony, but he didn’t have time to change into appropriate clothes and back. Maestro is now available for streaming on Netflix.
