'Maestro' Revealed

Bradley Cooper's transformation into Leonard Bernstein on film

- RYAN SMITH

BRADLEY COOPER HAD A LONG LIST OF "NONnegotiable" requirements when it came to starring in and directing his critically acclaimed Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro, one of the movie's producers revealed to Newsweek.

After enjoying critical and commercial success through helming and starring in the 2018 hit A Star Is Born, Cooper has pulled quadruple duty (also co-writing and co-producing) in his film about the life of the legendary conductor, who brought the world West Side Story and On the Town, among other enduring works.

The movie which debuted on Netflix December 20 to much fanfare following a month-long limited release in theaters—largely follows Bernstein away from the world of his career, shining a light on his marriage to Costa Rican-born actress Felicia Montealegre, stunningly portrayed by Carey Mulligan.

Bernstein's adoration for his wife is not enough to surmount the strain brought on by his repeated infidelities. While Montealegre is shown initially believing she can overlook her bisexual husband's affairs with male suitors, his infidelity ultimately leads to the demise of their union.

Producer Kristie Macosko Krieger told Newsweek that Cooper was quite the marvel to watch and a rewarding challenge to work with particularly because the multi-hyphenate star had set such high standards when it came to the production.

"Bradley didn't make it an easy situation for us," Krieger said with a laugh. "He wanted to shoot the movie in the hallowed halls where Lenny and Felicia lived their lives. So he wanted to shoot a tango, he wanted to shoot at Carnegie Hall, he wanted to shoot in Ely Cathedral, he wanted to shoot at The Plaza, he wanted to shoot in Central Park. He wanted to shoot in the Dakota, but we couldn't shoot in the Dakota, so we had to build the Dakota to look exactly like their apartment did.