With his mother accompanying him, Bradley Cooper left a notable impression at the 2024 Golden Globes.
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The 49-year-old actor graced the red carpet at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday, January 7, with his mother, Gloria Campano. Dressed in a sleek double-breasted black tuxedo, Cooper was complemented by Campano's elegant black lace-bodiced dress, a chic cropped jacket, and striking blue aviator-style sunglasses.
Cooper is in the running for two accolades this year: Best Male Actor in a Drama Motion Picture and Best Motion Picture Director for his Leonard Bernstein biopic, "Maestro." A win here would be his first at the Golden Globes.
The movie delves into the intricate dynamics between renowned American composer Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Bernstein, who led the New York Philharmonic Orchestra from 1958 to 1969, passed away from a heart attack in October 1990, coinciding with his retirement from conducting.
The film features not just Cooper and Mulligan but also Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sam Nivola and Alexa Swinton.
For Cooper, the movie has been a passion project. Prior to shooting, the Oscar-nominated actor spent years mastering conducting to replicate Bernstein's direction of the London Symphony Orchestra at Ely Cathedral in 1976.
"That scene I was so worried about because we did it live," he said during a conversation moderated by Lin-Manuel Miranda after a screening of the movie in New York City in November. "That was the London Symphony Orchestra. I was recorded live. I had to conduct them. And I spent six years learning how to conduct six minutes and 21 seconds of music."
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Initially set to be directed by Steven Spielberg, "Maestro" underwent five years of development. Spielberg, after witnessing Cooper's directorial prowess in "A Star Is Born," handed over the directing role to him. (Spielberg remained a producer alongside Cooper, Martin Scorsese, and others).
Recalling a memorable interaction on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in January 2022, Cooper shared how Spielberg entrusted him with "Maestro"'s direction.
"I'll never forget this. He came, we were sitting there and I'm showing him 'A Star Is Born' and he's all the way on the other side on the front row, it's a pretty huge screen," Cooper said. "He gets up and I'm like, 'Oh he's going to the bathroom now?' and I was like, 'That's it, it's over. If he's going to the bathroom at this point in the movie ... and he gets up, he walks over, and I'm putting my head down and the next thing I know I feel his face here and he says, because it's loud, 'You're f—ing directing 'Maestro'!"
The film has also been at the center of some debate recently, with Cooper facing criticism for using a prosthetic nose to resemble the late Jewish musician.
The controversy escalated when the movie's trailer was released in August 2023, leading some to accuse Cooper, who is not Jewish, of antisemitism. In response, Bernstein's children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina Bernstein, issued a supportive statement regarding Cooper's portrayal.
"Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father. We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father's music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration. It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts," they wrote in a statement.
Cooper also defended his choice, explaining the reasoning behind the prosthetic nose.
"My nose is very similar to Lenny's actually, and so, the prosthetic is actually, like, a silk sheet," Cooper said during an interview on CBS Mornings in November 2023. "And I thought, 'Maybe we don't need to do it because we could take down time of prep, but it's all about balance."
He added: "When he's young, we had a prosthetic [around my nose] and then it just moves out so by the time he's older, it's the whole face. So, we just had to do it, otherwise I wouldn't believe he's a human being."
