Bradley Cooper is a man of rules.
When directing a film, Bradley Cooper has certain crucial on-set guidelines. In the most recent installment of Variety's Actors on Actorsseries, Spike Lee receives advice from Maestro, the director, producer, and star, on what he expects from a film.
"For me, it was such a natural transition, once I had the courage to write and direct a movie," Cooper expressed what he felt of moving from acting to behind-the-camera work.
"But when I direct, I don't watch playback. There's no chairs. I've always hated chairs on sets; your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair. There's no video village," he added.
Cooper also revealed having a largely closed set, explaining, "When we shoot the movie, no one’s allowed on set. [Producer] Steven Spielberg came three times, but other than him, there's nobody. It has to be a sanctuary."
Cooper went all in for Maestro, inhabiting the persona of Leonard Bernstein for the entire shooting.
"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," Cooper said.
He further said, "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."