Bradley Cooper praised by Leonard Bernstein’s film crew – The Hollywood Reporter

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein and Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre in “Maestro”

Jason MacDonald/Netflix

Artist, band leader Director and star Bradley Cooper admires the courage he saw his colleagues show in the production of the Netflix film about Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre.

In a behind-the-scenes video exclusively for Hollywood Reporter He can be seen below. Cooper is joined by stars Carey Mulligan and Sarah Silverman, as well as production designer Kevin Thompson, costume designer Mark Bridges, editor Michele Tesoro and others who worked on the film. The team shares their favorite memories from the shoot and celebrates Cooper for all the multitasking the project required.

“Working with people who were able to be as brave as I felt we all needed to be in telling this story was such a blessing to me, so divine,” Cooper says in the video. “Everyone had equal love for Lenny and Felicia. It was a really shared goal – all we were thinking was, ‘What’s the best way to tell the movie?’

Artist, band leader It stars Cooper as legendary composer and bandleader Bernstein – known for writing music for him West Side Story, among other works – and Mulligan as Montealegre, as the film focuses on the ups and downs of their relationship amid Bernstein’s professional success. The film, which Cooper co-wrote with Josh Singer, is currently showing in select theaters before hitting Netflix on December 20 and is considered a strong Oscar contender, with Cooper’s lead performance in particular garnering significant buzz.

“The production design, the costume design, the makeup, the acting, the script — it was always all about the story,” Cooper continues. “I feel like we achieved our goal, and that’s because we were all on the same page, and that’s gold for a director.”

Mulligan is among those in the video paying tribute to the director, whose days often began with four hours in the makeup chair. “It was all in his mind,” the actress recalls. “But then he was always spontaneous. He would find things and say, ‘OK, this is necessary. We need to seize this.’

“He created a set that was like acting heaven, where you could go anywhere, and it was a lot of fun,” she adds.