Who Bradley Cooper Credits for Showing Him How to Direct

Bradley Cooper was the “Maestro” in front of and behind the camera for his new Leonard Bernstein biopic. He reflected on becoming a filmmaker in The L.A. Times’ “The Envelope: Directors Roundtable” and credited a legendary actor-director with showing him the ropes.

“I just love putting stories together cinematically it's like my brain just feels soothed by it,” said Cooper, who also wrote and directed “A Star Is Born.”

He continued, “I was always thinking about the process of making films on a set so I would always imagine seeing what the shot is and knowing what the lens is and just sort of it, it became… second nature.”

Cooper said it was Clint Eastwood who helped him get the hang of things. Looking back at the 2014 drama “American Sniper” that Eastwood directed and in which Cooper starred, Bradley said, “We made that movie together ‘American Sniper’… and so by the time I got to ‘A Star Is Born,’ I really felt like I was in the sweet spot.”

Now, “Maestro” is up for four Golden Globes including Best Director and Best Actor in a Drama. Bradley told “Extra,” “Everything that's been happening is so wonderful. It’s all been really kind of shocking, to be honest.”