Bradley Cooper ignited some debate when he revealed his peculiar on-set seating preferences while speaking with sneaker connoisseur Spike Lee for Variety’s Directors on Directors series. Cooper wrote, directed, and stars as composer Leonard Bernstein in Netflix’s sweeping biopic Maestro. The Hangover star discussed the difficulties of directing the film while staying in character as Bernstein, telling Lee he likes to keep his sets free of distractions.
“There’s no chairs on set,” Cooper revealed. “I’ve always hated chairs. I feel like your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair. So, apple boxes are a very nice way to sit.”
one second into the Spike Lee Bradley Cooper directors on directors and Bradley is pulling a Christopher Nolan no chair on set bit - I'm just gonna look forward to Spike Lee's reaction shots throughout pic.twitter.com/6SS865uYqA
— በአንድአምላክ ይመኑ። (@BandamlakYimenu) December 14, 2023
Social media critics have been swift to call Cooper out for, as they see it, not providing his crew with the necessary tools to weather long days on set. “I think every single person on set should get a chair,” X user Ali Golub wrote, “because working 12 hour+ days without being allowed to sit down is inhumane.”
However, some were slightly miffed the hardliners seemingly hadn’t watched the full interview. “[It’s] annoying me how few people complaining about Bradley Cooper’s stance on chairs…have watched the clip where it came from,” wrote @LoganKenny1. “He makes it clear five seconds later that cast/crew aren’t banned from sitting down. He’s not forcing people to stand all day!”
Several people couldn’t resist calling attention to Cooper’s cameo in this year’s Dungeons and Dragons movie. Playing the short-in-stature ex-husband of Michelle Rodriguez’s character, Cooper spends his screen time plopped into an incongruously large chair.
not a day goes by that I don't think about tiny bradley cooper from the dnd movie sitting in a chair, i mean just look at him ???? pic.twitter.com/QiB5d0YlDm
— Elvis The Alien (@ElvisTheAlienTV) December 8, 2023
Cooper’s resistance to chairs seems to be more about providing a realistic environment for his cast to slip into character, rather than about depriving the crew of creature comforts. He also admitted to not allowing any set visitors during Maestro’s production.
“When we shoot the movie, no one’s allowed on set,” he shared. “[Producer] Steven Spielberg came three times, but other than him, there’s nobody. It has to be a sanctuary,” Cooper said.
Maestro is currently in cinemas. It begins streaming on Netflix on December 20. You can watch Bradley Cooper's full discussion with Spike Lee below.
