Why Steven Spielberg Hired Bradley Cooper To Direct "Maestro"

In part three of his interview, "Nightmare Alley" star Bradley Cooper shares the charming story of how Steven Spielberg was convinced to hire him as director of the upcoming film about Leonard Bernstein. #Colbert #NightmareAlley #BradleyCooper
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The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is the premier late night talk show on CBS, airing at 11:35pm EST, streaming online via Paramount+, and delivered to the International Space Station on a USB drive taped to a weather balloon. Every night, viewers can expect: Comedy, humor, funny moments, witty interviews, celebrities, famous people, movie stars, bits, humorous celebrities doing bits, funny celebs, big group photos of every star from Hollywood, even the reclusive ones, plus also jokes.

[@mabsali8770]

Bradley Cooper rose to becoming one of my all time favourite actors when I saw him play The Elephant Man at the west end in London. He is genuinely an incredible actor and you can clearly see how much love and passion he has for the art. Also, if you can play The Elephant Man AND voice Rocket Raccoon, you are already top tier amongst all current working actors hahaha

[@bbcbbc1717]

Agreed. Saw him in Elephant man on Broadway and big fan. A Star is Born was great and can’t wait to see Maestro, even more now that I know the back story and how obsessed he is with conducting. Would love to see him get an Oscar finally but sounds like he has some touch competition. Hope the movie is well received.

[@ABC-yt1nq]

He strikes me as an absolutely lovely person.

[@YouGuessIGuess]

You can find an old Inside the Actor's Studio with Bradley Cooper as a student. He looks so incredibly focused and determined to perfect his craft. Seeing that really changed my opinion of him at the time. Now that he's directing, it's clear that he's kept that passion and focus going throughout his career.

[@key_sii_]

same

[@janicebeare8127]

Bradley Cooper has such great energy! He's not as restrained as other actors and seems to really appreciate and celebrate his successes. That's the secret to having more of them. 😀

[@Ccilie]

Steven Spielberg is as good a human being as he is a director. One of the great ones !

[@veronicabrown607]

He's such a humble and loveable human. You can see the passion for his work beam out of him.

[@myrpok]

It does seem to come out with all of his qualifications of self-doubt that he probably is, in fact, a relatively down to Earth guy.... but it is kind of funny to me that pretty much the entire segment he has with Colbert is him humble bragging about that time Steven Spielberg told him how fucking good he is. Now, you can't begrudge a person for a story like that because it is something one would want to tell over and over, but still.

[@Rubylove48]

This man is a fantastic interviewee and a pure lover of cinema. Love him so much.

[@jackson857]

I know it's probably not most people favourites, or even well known, performances from him, but I absolutely loved him in Limitless. It was one of my favourite movies when i was younger.

[@MsRaquelD]

I thought he was sooo good in that movie. Totally underrated.

[@stardust-rebel]

Limitless, both film and show, were great. The network tossed it out but I want to see a continuation.

[@lindatemple5951]

My very favorite

[@asecretone]

@@stardust-rebel YES. The show needs to be back

[@Sunny25611]

Yes ❤️

[@sergioolivera1258]

That man really loves his craft and it shows. Never forget his inside the actors studio question

[@demiflute]

Maestro is going to be a real treat!!! I am so happy this will be happening! Being a classical and jazz musician myself, I am thrilled to know he will be doing it with a distant but fervent love of conducting!! AND he played double bass?!?! Smh….. Mr Cooper just became one of my all time favorite people, let alone, actors. A truly inspiring artist….. I am so moved in this moment. And, think Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry inspired a child to love conducting and double bass…. THIS is what pursuing your dreams is all about. The world needs your gift - YOU will inspire SOMEONE who appreciates it. ❤️

[@OfficialMyxomatosis]

...And omg! Jake Gyllenhaal is *so butthurt that he did not get to do this movie that he "Has been working on for YEARS!!"* 😭😭😭 🤣🤣🤣 Bradley Cooper is just BETTER!

[@sailonbird]

@@OfficialMyxomatosis Did Jake talk about this in other interviews? I did not know he had worked on this too.

[@MrVikingsandra]

Oh man, I love that Limitless movie with Bradley. What a wonderful actor!

[@scarface9979]

Bradley Cooper will be finally winning his Oscar for Maestro.I can't wait to see it.

[@EnoVarma]

But, he already has an Oscar. What are you talking about?

[@copperguide1675]

@@EnoVarma no lol

[@EnoVarma]

Oops, scratch that. I thought he was one of the writers of "Shallow". I don't know where my head was. Apologies.

[@mehere8038]

@@EnoVarma He won a grammy not an oscar. I remember cause of the joke at the time about what really good friends gift each other, him gifting Lady Gaga an oscar & her gifting him a grammy. Sadly Gaga only won the song one too, lets hope she gets the actress one this year & lets hope Bradley gets the oscar he deserves! How can all your main cast get nominated for oscars & the director not get nominated for his work in that movie?

[@DelightLovesMovies]

I can't wait to see Maestro.

[@sridevimk]

oh my god… Bradley Cooper mentioned the Tom & Jerry episode where Tom plays the upright base & sings… he mentioned THE SONG… i’m losing my mind here… 🎶is you is or is you ain’t ma babayyyy🎶 I thought I couldn’t love him more… I was wrong! ❤️ ps: i’m rewatching the segment cuz I stopped listening cuz I was squealing & typing this 🤣

[@delrey874]

I'm really looking forward to Bradley's Leonard Bernstein biopic!

[@JK_Clark]

That's a brilliant anecdote with Spielberg.

[@TheChonaman]

Getting the blessing from Steven Spielberg is a sign that there is greatness in you, Bradley. The trailer looks incredible and I have no doubt it will crush.

[@apocbible]

Thank God for Steven Spielberg

[@diesel5460]

He is one of the worst people to walk the face of the earth. The sooner people get the courage to speak the better

[@geoffreyfeinberg9792]

Steven Spielberg is a legend. Can't wait for Maestro.

[@donnasumner1218]

He should have got an oscar in Silver Linings. He is great playing odd characters

[@ksrt2654]

WOW. GREAT STORY!

[@stevenchen7701]

How is it possible to be obsessed with conducting and yet not know Leonard Bernstein? That is like saying you are obsessed with science, yet have never heard of Einstein, or poetry, but have never heard of Lord Byron.

[@jackdonohue7893]

Just saw Maestro. It’s a masterpiece

[@MISNM0]

I can't even deal with how much I adore Bradley Cooper. He's really got content and substance as a person. I applaud him, and anyone, who does what they can to make the world a better place to live. He did that for my world after the first time of watching A Star Is Born. Truly a momentous occasion for me and I'm sure many others. Thank you for your work and honoring what's in your heart.

[@jeffhogue1245]

Bradley Cooper is a genius 💚

[@JerryFlowersIII]

Incredible story.

[@rahulmalviya2527]

One of the best actor.

[@holmesgirlclassics6664]

I cannot believe that he is a fan of Bugs and Tom and Jerry! The animated scene, "Is you is or Is you ain't my baby?' is one of my favorite scenes of Tom and Jerry! I can't believe he knows about that! It made me so happy to hear that! Reminded me of being a kid! Got so much love for Bradley, period! Even more, now!

[@chazmann108]

Did you ever see Seinfeld reprising the Bugs Bunny "This is It" Overture when Elaine said, "...we're gonna miss the Overture." Baby boomers first heard classical music in cartoons! RIP Mel Blanc.

[@edsmith]

He is so down to Earth. I love that!

[@prathapkutty7407]

He was robbed of an Oscar for a star is born. It's easily his best performance yet.

[@ER-uy7ct]

True. Even for directing, she should have. That movie was shear perfection.

[@ericapierce6727]

He is great as Leonard Bernstein. He's sure to get an Oscar for Maestro. He disappears and becomes Bernstein.

[@SpoonMe]

Loved him all those years ago on Alias. He’s so fantastic!

[@JonnyDIY]

Wow to have Spielberg do that! Cooper must be good 💕

[@janette9872]

I effing love that part in tom and jerry! "Is you is or is you aint my baby? Maybe baby's found somebody new.."

[@christineong2959]

I love the way he loves his job.

[@ResoMedia]

For us that grew up as big fans of Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry, we instantly know what "Is you is or is you ain't my baby" refers to 😆Classic episode. Great to hear he's a fan!

[@andriandra9217]

Bradley is number 1 (UNO-The top✨) on my favorite actor list hehe 👉❤️👈, but sadly he dont have an instagram (?)

[@alecrechtiene558]

He seems to have a lot of surprises for us. Leonard Bernstein was the 🐐🐐🐐 too

[@allthingsnerdy5474]

get a directing gig from Spielberg, it must like Miles Morales given the spider-man baton from Peter Parker

[@penguinista]

Great story well told!

[@susanbigler1062]

It was the best flight of my life. Thank you!

[@corey1751]

Don’t even need to watch Maestro to know it’ll be nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor. Just watch this video

[@olgamaria4444]

Bradley Cooper, um grande ator diretor e um ser.humano maravilhoso!💓

[@danierinash7952]

I have a pet rabbit named 'Bradley Cooper-Bunnington'. I saw a trailer for A Star is Born while I was trying to think of a name.

[@kuhndog63]

I do not know Bradley Cooper but what I do know is he is more than just another pretty boy actor and I am happy for him and his success in both acting and directing. His appearance on Inside The Actors Studio was very moving and made me a bigger fan that I already was.

[@dad102]

That is a great story.

[@sandraabu3797]

Bradley Cooper is as real as they come. Master at his craft yet still humble and unpretentious. His passion for cinema is infectious.

[@josipmartincic2488]

There is a real likeness to Bernstein!

[@chrissellers-ov7yo]

You can tell that he is going back and forrth between chaacters in this interview. I love method.

[@boreduser12]

Awesome story

[@cleenegame]

He should've been nominated for direction in ASIB.

[@JeffreyGillespie]

His range is astonishing.

[@kevs6402]

Witness the blossoming legend.

[@naughtyat25]

Go Bradley! Tom and Jerry is my favorite cartoon too!

[@slamdunk2270]

I love Bradley Cooper so much ❤he is literally me if I was a successful actor/director in Hollywood... and I'm french. Spielberg & Cooper 💕

[@carolynlbs]

Bradley Cooper is Smoking Hot in so many ways right now.

[@chrisyoung276]

For how long have you been a fan of mine Carolyn?

[@rickzhang2288]

Ever since I heard about this movie, Bradley Cooper looks more and more like Lenny with my each look...

[@user-wp4ju4hp5w]

The movie Maestro is a Testament of how great a conductor Leonard Bernstein was

[@HyperTeddyBear]

The Tom & Jerry cartoon Bradley is talking about at 1:07 is Solid Serenade (1946), referring to the scene where Tom sings Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4rOe2ODZseIf7c

[@hellbenthornball1153]

And later on, Jack Nicholson serenaded Meryl Streep in "Heartburn" with the same song.

[@Christine-kq9ok]

Thanks for the link, Teddy Bear! I grew up with Tom and Jerry cartoons - (Yeah, I'm that old.)

[@HylianFox3]

Thanks. I knew exactly which T&J cartoon he mentioned but I couldn't recall the title.

[@sox2000]

It's hard for me to picture being obsessed with conducting yet not knowing who Bernstein is...he was the one who obsessed most of us with it. I'm not irritated with his ignorance of him, though. I'm jealous. I cannot imagine what joy he must've experienced learning about Bernstein, watching him, and--almost assuredly--falling in love with who he was like I did...like so many millions of us did growing up. What a wonderful joy it would be to finally discover the embodiment of what you privately dreamed.

[@user-ll5fr7uk5d]

They next proyect: Glen Gould, a brillante Canadian musisian.God Bless America

[@carmenjosefadonascimento694]

Bradley Cooper nasceu pra brilhar 😊

[@Smartbeautifulawesome]

I love hìm in all his stuff

[@annabananazz]

..... if he had such an obsession with conducting, classical music, acting, how could he not know Bernstein before this movie fell in his lap?!! I like him but cmon Cooper

[@watneyedith9650]

I completely understand that he wanted to conduct as it's in him. Same for me ! I just want to conduct one day Between 9th! I watched Bernsten conducting it.the best ever! I sang Ode the joyI a few tmes. I am obsessed with Beethoven. I feel his love, his pain, his anger his passion. Well done Cooper! I met one of the background artist last year who told me about this film. I can't wait to see it!

[@ericafisette160]

We win Big! 🏆!

[@user-or1pi6cx5b]

I know you ...❤❤

[@angelamartins6113]

Lindo e talentoso Bladley Cooper. Deus o abençoe sempre! Bjs.

[@Downloadeodeo]

TWO TWO!!

[@bigtatties]

I can always name 10 actors better suited to every role he does

[@inesmachadocasamentos2828]

HOW WAS THERE NO REACTION TO IS YOU IS OR IS YOU AINT MY BABY???

[@daphneg5712]

Why is it so short???? Cut off everyone else!

[@rossini9mozart10]

I just hope a real conductor teached him how to beat and conduct exactly like Bernstein, cause it's so so precise that it's hardcore to reproduce even for a real conductor.

[@bfkc111]

"Smart guy" always obsessed with being a conductor (never thought about trying it, of course), doesn't know about Leonard Bernstein, just one of the most famous conductors, even if one isn't obsessed with conductors (e.g., simply a common name if one searches for classical recordings, aside from historical names).

[@jdj830]

Yes I thought that was weird too. And of course Bernstein also wrote the music for West Side Story, which he must have known about, as well as On the Waterfront, which as a serious student of film acting he had to have seen at some point. Very strange.

[@Nicolas-uu3jr]

tom & jerry ftw!

[@BestFitSquareChannel]

♥️🖖🏼🥂

[@lynnturman8157]

I think they wait too long to release movies. Lot of people don't know it but this movie was filmed in 1964.

[@phylipitaglioni1970]

Lucky

[@AlexSzell]

He “conducted” classical music growing up and he didn’t know anything about Leonard Bernstein when presented with the project?

[@chazmann108]

It seems disingenuous for Cooper to say "I knew nothing about Leonard Berstein." Just moments before he claimed to have 'fake conducted for 10,000 hours of his young life'. Lenny did SO MUCH with the 'Young People's Concerts' that it seems odd for him to have claim ignorance. I am anxious to see the movie tho, because Lenny was such an immense presence in classical music and musical theater during the 60s-80s. I enjoyed 'Tar' but Lenny was invoked in ways that seemed anachronistic. Lydia could not have been a protege of Bernstein. The years were all wrong tho it was appropriate for her to talk about him as an icon of classical conducting.

[@NewMessage]

It's not about Elaine's ex? Aw.

[@JonnyDIY]

Who told you to put the balm on???!

[@eliecanetti]

Cool stuff. But I don’t understand how you can be an 80’s child obsessed with conducting and know nothing about Leonard Bernstein, who was probably the most famous, and visible conductor in the world, even late in his career. Looking forward to the movie though.

[@SuperWhofan1]

Spielberg didn’t want his name attached to this mess

[@cryptostratsdotcom1599]

Wasnt bradley cooper a country singer?

[@nichenetwork9817]

So disappointing he's still making them pimp American Sniper 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@vanunueytan]

What about the NOSE? left it at home?

[@whispersmusic6173]

Now we know the real reason. 💀 Spiel was trying to dodge the “antisemitic” bullet

[@arontamas5639]

Should have won for Star is born, his only unluck was his character was fictional, The Oscars are crazy about real life characters...... Even though Bradley actually was singing unlike Rami and his actin was way better regardless Rami played Freddy Mercury.

[@parkpatt]

Y'all should have Jon write a new jingle for the end of these clips. I watch these religiously and I've gotten so sick of that one!

[@EnoVarma]

Cooper is a brilliant actor, but this "A Star Is Born" phenomenon I don't understand. It's not a very good movie despite some great scenes and excellent acting.

[@Nazaba09]

You are in the minority. It was excellent!

[@patriciatapia1710]

it upsets me, that he didnt know who leonard bernstein was. like im happy for him as a human, but what the hell! its f*ing Bernstein! ... and they say millenials are the ignorant ones...

[@WhisperPP]

Right?! I had to scroll too far down to see someone else mention this.

[@pithoprakta]

@@WhisperPP Same!

[@tragoudia]

Thank you! Thank so much for mentioning this! How can you be a young American boy obsessed with conducting and not know who Leonard Bernstein is. I mean for Heaven' s sake! It just doesn' t add up... Oh Lenny, Lenny...

[@tragoudia]

@@WhisperPP Same here!

[@tragoudia]

@@pithoprakta Same here. And I' m third in line...

[@johndavies9589]

The War of Cooper’s Nose In the film ‘Maestro’ Bradley Cooper wore a prosthetic nose to look like Leonard Bernstein. In the same way Joseph Gordon Levitt did as a younger version of a Bruce Willis character, Meryl Streep and Olivia Colman did as Margaret and Carole Thatcher, Steve Martin did as Cyrano de Bergerac, Nicole Kidman did as Virginia Woolf, Anthony Hopkins did as Nixon, Robert Di Niro did as a boxer, Billy Crystal did as a wizard… nothing controversial, you would think, in an actor being made to physically resemble the character they are portraying. But actor Tracy-Ann Oberman tweeted “If he needs to wear a prosthetic nose then that is, to me and many others, the equivalent of Black-Face or Yellow-face.” The great Leonard Bernstein had a handsome, distinctive, fairly large nose which only vaguely conformed to a very narrow and unrepresentative stereotype of Jewish nasal appearance used by antisemites and semites alike. It was not that Cooper’s nose was just like Bernstein’s yet they made it larger still ‘to make him look more Jewish’ and then attach racist derogation to that signification. They didn’t do it to make Cooper look Jewish at all. They just did it to make Cooper look like Bernstein. Ironically, Oberman objecting to a Jewish character on screen having the type of nose that has been used as a signifier of Jewishness could be interpreted as indirect racial self-loathing, as if she feels that a ‘Jewish’ nose is ‘worse’ than a non-Jewish one. I don’t think that at all, though. I just think that her understandable sensitivity and vigilance to antisemitism - or perhaps oversensitivity and hyper-vigilance in this case - interfered with her objectivity. She was OK with Cillian Murphy playing Oppenheimer because they looked alike and the Irishman “could get the power of the man’s story and Jewishness through the power of his acting.” I’m Anglo-Saxon/Welsh (which my own Dad ridiculously disparaged as “shandy, half and half, like’’). If someone was playing me in a movie I wouldn’t want him to “get” my ‘Anglo-Saxon/Welsh-ness’ “through the power of his acting” because I don’t define my individual personality by the inherited accidents of the races or religions of my ancestors. I suspect that what is most valuable about people is not what happens to be forced on them by stale history, but what they do freshly with the present. Anyway, so when Oberman went on to write “If Bradley Cooper can’t do it through the power of acting alone then don’t cast him - get a Jewish Actor,” she wasn’t quite saying that only Jews should play Jews. Some do make that kind of assertion, even though that would connote that only gentiles should play gentiles, which would have taken many great roles away from talented Jewish actors like Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Harrison Ford, Hedy Lamarr, Alan Arkin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Natalie Portman, James Caan, Claire Bloom, Robert Downey Jr, Shelley Winters, Paul Rudd, Dyan Cannon, Sean Penn, Carrie Fisher, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daniel Radcliffe - and prosthetic nose-wearers Joseph Gordon Levitt and Billy Crystal too - and when you think of those actors, do you think ‘Jewish Actor’ or do you just think ‘Actor’? I think “actor”. Were you offended when they played gentiles? Of course not! But would you, like Tracy Ann Oberman does seem to be saying that she is, by rational extension, only have been offended if a Jewish actor had been made up to look like a gentile who looked like a gentile? How far would you take this principle? If, say, brunette Cillian Murphy was playing a Swede who really had blonde hair would you object to the actor’s hair being dyed blonde because it made them look stereotypically Swedish in a way that risked triggering people to speak in what might be received as an insulting caricature of a Swedish accent like the Chef from Sesame Street? After all, ’Blonde’ has been used as a negative signifier in the same way that the so-called ‘jewish nose’ has. People say ‘blonde’ to mean ‘stupid’. So would Oberman object to her own hair being dyed blonde to play someone fair-haired because of that? I doubt it. Then to be consistent she shouldn’t object to an actor being given a ‘jewish nose’ to play someone who has a ‘jewish nose’ either. The way to fight prejudice against groups is to reject negative characterisations, and celebrate positive characteristics instead. Groups shouldn’t be that significant anyway - Jews or Gentiles, Anglo-Saxons or Welsh, brunettes or blondes - or Montagues or Capulets as, as Shakespeare almost had Juliet say, “What’s in a nose? That which we call a nose by any other shape would smell as sweet”. John

[@elainemessier8066]

It’s too bad he can’t stay with one woman

[@juiceboxhero3952]

He got so in character he became a homosexual

[@Natural_ShowmanShip]

Awful 😞