Why Bradley Cooper Bans Chairs On His Movie Sets - His One Weird Rule Explained
Bradley Cooper has successfully made the transition from a comedic actor best known for "The Hangover" movies to a Very Serious™ director. He's once again in discussions for awards this season thanks to his work on "Maestro," which he directed, co-wrote, and starred in the lead role as Leonard Bernstein. Cooper sat down for Variety's Directors on Directors series with Spike Lee to discuss their respective processes. And while there's much to glean, it's a strange rule Cooper mentioned having on his sets that's drawing attention online.
Cooper, who previously directed 2018's "A Star Is Born," brought up, "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." The quote has gained particular traction on X, formerly known as Twitter, where a lot of people poke fun at the admittedly ridiculous rule, such as @Danimalish, "On my sets I do not allow floors. My energy dips the minute I touch cement."
The idea seems to be that people should remain in the moment while filming; however, it does raise concerns about people's health and overall comfort. Cooper's comments are sure to inspire memes and jokes, but chairs shouldn't be viewed as a bad thing in any workplace.
Some have accused Bradley Cooper of ableism due to his 'No Chair' rule
Bradley Cooper isn't the first director to have a supposed "No Chair" policy on his sets. When promoting "Dunkirk," Mark Rylance mentioned how Christopher Nolan doesn't like actors having chairs or water bottles on sets. A spokesperson for Nolan later clarified for IndieWire that the filmmaker does allow chairs; he simply chooses not to use his. Perhaps Cooper will provide additional clarification for his "No Chair" rule at a later time, especially with all of the mocking he's received since the Variety interview came out.
Some people offered jokes, but others chose to voice genuine criticisms about not allowing people to sit when they need to. For instance, X user @glitterbrainz commented, "This is so ableist. The fact that he's proud of this is sad." A similar sentiment was shared by @theunquietbard, "The words of a man who is fully unaware everyone around him is an individual human and not inanimate toys to be maneuvered and placed."
Some came to Cooper's defense, saying how he'd more than likely allow someone with a medical condition or injury to sit when needed. But the issue goes beyond that. Some production days can go for 12 or 14 hours. Even if someone is perfectly healthy, they still deserve to sit when they have a chance. It's not just Hollywood where this idea permeates; retail workers have long fought for their right to sit, particularly when it comes to performing cashier duties and other responsibilities where sitting doesn't hamper their ability to work.
If Cooper doesn't want to sit, that's his prerogative. Regardless of what he publicly declares, hopefully, people can sit when they need (or want) to when working on his films.