- Bradley Cooper will be playing Leonard Bernstein in 'Maestro'
- The role required to learn new skills
- THIS is what Bradley went through
It's already getting a lot of Oscar buzz, and at first glance it's easy to see why. During a star-studded Los Angeles screening, Cooper, who not only stars in but also directs and co-writes the film, spilled the beans on his intense preparation in a conversation with none other than 'Hamilton' genius Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The scene that took six years!
Cooper revealed that he spent a whopping six years learning how to conduct just over six minutes of music in the style of Bernstein himself so he could record a crucial scene in 'Maestro' live on set.
The scene in question recreates Bernstein’s famous conducting of the London Symphony Orchestra at the Ely Cathedral in 1976. The sequence is the film’s most rousing, as it fully showcases Bernstein’s musical genius and shows off Cooper’s staggering performance in all its full-bodied glory.
Imagine dedicating six whole years to nail just over six minutes of performance! "That scene I was so worried about because we did it live," he confessed. Talk about pressure!
Cooper said that though he was terrified before doing the scene, his hard work strengthened his self-belief, adding, "If I hadn't done the work, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy myself in these scenes."
"That was the London Symphony Orchestra. I was recorded live. I had to conduct them. And I spent six years learning how to conduct six minutes and 21 seconds of music," he said.
"I was able to get the raw take where I just watched Leonard Bernstein [conduct] at Ely Cathedral with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1976. And so I had that to study," Cooper added, while also thanking wonderful teachers for helping him fine-tune the performance.
"Nézet-Séguin made videos with all the tempo changes, so I had all of the materials to just work on." Cooper said. "It was really about dialing exactly what I wanted cinematically and then inviting them into then inhabit that space and trusting that they have all done the work. Because I think that I knew I was terrified, absolutely terrified that if I hadn’t done the work then I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself in these scenes. And everybody did."
A nose for controversy
But it's not all standing ovations and roses. Cooper's choice to don a prosthetic nose to portray Bernstein, who was Jewish, has stirred up some drama. Critics have raised eyebrows, but Bernstein's own family has come to Cooper's defense.
The decision to give Cooper a prodigious prosthetic nose has been criticized as antisemitic since Bernstein was Jewish and Cooper is not! After the first images surfaced, Cooper faced a social media backlash.
In turn, Bernstein’s daughters issued a statement saying, "It happens to be true that Leonard Bern- stein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that. We’re also certain that our dad would be fine with it as well."
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The film is set to be Bradley's best ever performance which already says a lot. For many pundits, this will be the role that cements his place among the greats of screen acting.
Mark your calendars! 'Maestro' will grace the silver screens in a limited release on November 22, before making its grand entrance on Netflix in December. Will Cooper's six-year labor of love pay off? Will the film hit a high note with audiences? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure: Bradley Cooper is setting the bar sky-high for method acting!
