Bradley Cooper is facing backlash after revealing his strict "no chairs on sets" policy.
The actor and director, 48, sparked controversy after speaking openly about his preferred directing environment during an episode of Variety's "Directors on Directors."
"There's no chairs on sets; I've always hated chairs and I feel like your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair," Cooper shared, according to the Independent. "So apple boxes are a nice way to sit."
His remarks ignited outrage on social media. One person noted that his views were "super ableist" and left them feeling "pretty unenthused to see any more of his work."
"Strikes me as anti-disability, no?" a second person cited by the Independent said.
"As a wheelchair-bound actor, I feel like Bradley Cooper wouldn't let me on set," someone else added.
During the interview, Cooper also noted the absence of a "video village" on his sets, referring to the director's monitors and surrounding area, explaining that he wanted to "create a sacred space where things are really occurring in real time."
"I actually think going back and watching it and hearing it, I think that's a vulnerable thing for an actor to hear. No one likes the sound of their own voice, anyway," he said, drawing upon his own acting experience. "So I want to make actors feel safe to be fearless.”
Last month Cooper revealed the lengths he took in order to accurately portray composer Leonard Bernstein in the film "Maestro."
Cooper appeared at a Los Angeles screening of the film which included a conversation moderated by actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Speaking at the event, Cooper elaborated on a scene in which Bernstein famously conducted the 1976 London Symphony Orchestra in Ely Cathedral.
"That scene I was so worried about because we did it live," he said, according to IndieWire. "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."
Cooper, who also directed and co-wrote the film, recalled studying original footage of Bernstein conducting at the event to ensure he could deliver an authentic performance.
"It was really about dialing exactly what I wanted cinematically and then inviting them into then inhabit that space and trusting that they have all done the work," he said. "Because I think that I knew, I was terrified, absolutely terrified that if I hadn't done the work that I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself in these scenes. And everybody did."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.