Bradley Cooper is facing strong criticism over his strict “no chairs on sets” policy, with several people calling out his directing methods for being “harsh”.
The actor and director, 48, appeared on a recent episode of Variety’s “Directors on Directors”, where he spoke with Do the Right Things’ Spike Lee, and discussed his preferred directing environment.
“There’s no chairs on sets; I’ve always hated chairs and I feel like your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair,” Cooper shared. “So apple boxes are a nice way to sit.”
He added that there is also “no video village” on his sets, which refers to the director’s monitors and the immediate area surrounding them. “I hate that,” Cooper said, explaining that he wants to “create a sacred space where things are really occurring in real time”.
“I actually think going back and watching it and hearing it, I think that’s a vulnerable thing for an actor to hear. No one likes the sound of their own voice anyway,” he shared, pulling from his experience as an actor. “So I want to make actors feel safe to be fearless.”
Cooper’s former point – not allowing chairs on set – has sparked extreme backlash online, with numerous people finding his view “ableist”. “The fact that he’s proud of this is sad,” one person tweeted.
“Strikes me as anti-disability, no?” a second questioned.
“As a wheelchair-bound actor, I feel like Bradley Cooper wouldn’t let me on set,” someone else added.
“For Bradley Cooper and everyone else who needs to to hear it, you get the best work out of folks when they feel safe, included, and their needs are met,” a fourth wrote. “If you have to create harsh conditions to get people to work, you are simply not good at leading. It’s a skill issue.”
“It’s a film set not an Amazon warehouse,” another noted. “Calm down Bradley.”
The Independent has contacted Cooper’s representative for comment.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Maestro filmmaker and star revealed that he directed his new Leonard Bernstein biopic in the late conductor’s voice, after being inspired by Christian Bale’s method in 2013’s American Hustle.
“American Hustle was the first time I saw an actor stay in the voice of a character,” Cooper said. “It was Christian Bale. I had heard stories about Daniel Day-Lewis. I couldn’t figure out how someone could do that. Then I realised 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. Ever since American Hustle, that’s how I’ve done it as an actor.”
Maestro will be released on Netflix on 20 December.
