Bradley Cooper spoke at an event in London with the British Film Institute on Wednesday (January 24) discussing, in part, his work on Maestro, the amazing women he’s worked with over the years, and how he’s allowed himself to fail on set. He also mentioned seeing Metallica at Glastonbury one year with Michael Fassbender.
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The sold out event was hosted by filmmaker Stephen Daldry (The Crown), per a report from The Hollywood Reporter, who started by asking Cooper about his love of music and wondering if his next film would involve music. Cooper revealed that while the “little $10 million movie” wouldn’t revolve heavily around music, it is sneaking its way into the film anyway.
“But it’s funny, music is seeping its way in,” Cooper said, adding, “I can’t help it.” Allegedly, his next film will be Is This Thing On? with Will Arnett, but Cooper did not provide any other details about the rumored project.
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Instead, he regaled the audience with a tale about going to Glastonbury. He first gave some background details on a scene in A Star is Born from 2018, sharing that the Glastonbury Festival doesn’t ever let movies film there, but they let him do it since he has connections with the festival organizers.
“Glastonbury never allows [filming], but I’ve been going for so long,” he said. He first went to the Glastonbury Festival in 2014 while filming The Elephant Man. “I went that year because Metallica was playing, and I’m a huge Metallica fan,” he explained. “And so Michael Fassbender and I went to Glastonbury.”
Bradley Cooper On Directing Maestro and Allowing Himself to Fail on Set
Of his recent Netflix film, Maestro, which explored famed conductor Leonard Bernstein’s career and relationships, Cooper explained his process as both director and actor. “I prepare, prepare, prepare, and I show up and throw it all away,” he said. “It’s really about listening … The more you shoot of a film, the more the film starts to tell you what it wants, I find. So it’s a much more realistic organism that you can see and feel.”
He continued, “It helps that I’m an actor and I’ve been around for so long,” meaning, “I just sort of try to create an environment that I know I would feel comfortable with.” He further explained, “And one thing I learned early on is if you can give permission to fail on set that everybody opens up.”
The combination of actor-director works for Bradley Cooper because he allows himself to fail and create that environment for his co-stars. In that way, he gets incredible performances out of people, both as a fellow actor starring in the same scene, and as a director. “I think they’re watching me fail all day long, and it gives them permission,” he said. “Hopefully actors feel like they can now just let loose.”
Featured Image by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
