The 'Silver Linings Playbook' actor discusses his approach on the movie set especially when he serves a double role in front of the camera and behind the lens.
- Dec 15, 2023
AceShowbiz - Bradley Cooper likens himself to a "quarterback" on a movie set. The 48-year-old star has considered it relatively easy to make the transition from acting to directing, because of his long-standing approach to film-making.
"I spent 20 years acting in movies. I was lucky enough that I had filmmakers who recognised that I don't think like an actor - that I actually think in terms of the whole story," Bradley - who made his directorial debut with 2018's "A Star Is Born" - told Variety.
"They were generous enough to allow me to come with them on their journey. I was in one role for so many years, [but in fact] I was a sort of quarterback, really getting to know the plays and reading defence."
Bradley believes that directing was a "natural transition" for him. He explained, "I learned how to help the director by being on the field. For me, it was such a natural transition, once I had the courage to write and direct a movie. 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."
Lady Gaga starred in Bradley's directorial debut, and he loved working with the chart-topping pop star. The actor-turned-director previously told Screen Daily, "We were both entering into worlds we didn't know, and each person had been very comfortable in their world for at least a decade - or two, in my case."
"I hope that gave her comfort in the way she gave me comfort. I knew right away we were going to tell each other the truth; there's no reason not to because eventually everybody's going to say what they really think. I was convincing her it was working and she was the same about me, so we provided a great barometer [for each other]."
