Bradley Cooper used Christian Bale’s method approach for Maestro

Last Updated on December 20, 2023

With or without the controversy, the makeup in Maestro looks pretty incredible, with Bradley Cooper having to undergo upwards of six hours of work every morning before filming could even take place. So when he called “Action!” or had to give directions, he may as well have stayed in character. And that’s just what he did, channeling his subject, Leonard Bernstein, in every note he gave his cast.

Cooper recently sat down with fellow director Spike Lee for a Variety interview – with the Do the Right Thing director admitting he has already seen Maestro three times – and expounded on his approach. “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.”

On staying in character for Maestro – which can be a slippery slope for both the performer and those on set – Cooper said he learned a lot by watching Christian Bale on the set of 2013’s American Hustle. “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.”

While Daniel Day-Lewis is a different beast entirely, Cooper staying (partly) in character while directing does show his commitment to both the film and Bernstein himself, leading to a project that was six years in the making. While he also demonstrated his musical chops in A Star Is Born, Cooper actually does his own conducting in Maestro.

No doubt this level of dedication has resulted in one of the most anticipated films from Netflix. Our own Chris Bumbray gave it a 9/10 and called it “one of the year’s best movies.”

Maestro is in a limited theatrical run but will come to Netflix on December 20th.