Jessica Chastain Recalls Bradley Cooper Was ‘Horrified’ When Her Grandmother Sat on His Lap

Many high profile actors no longer audition for films and are just offered roles based on their past performances and choices made by directors and studios.

Zack Sharf Bradley Cooper earned rave reviews for his lead performance in Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley,” but the eight-time Oscar nominee was not necessarily the director’s first choice for the job. It was Leonardo DiCaprio, who del Toro originally cast in the role of Stanton Carlisle, a drifter and con artist who rises from lowly carnival worker to a renowned mentalist.

Zack Sharf Bradley Cooper confirmed during a conversation with Mahershala Ali as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, presented by Amazon Studios, that “Maestro” will finally start filming this May. Netflix’s “Maestro” marks Cooper’s first directorial effort since the blockbuster success of his feature debut, “A Star Is Born.” Cooper also stars in “Maestro” as esteemed Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein, with Carey Mulligan on board to play Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre.“I wanted to be a conductor since I was a kid,” Cooper told Ali about the new film.

Bradley Cooper (“Nightmare Alley,” “Licorice Pizza”) and Mahershala Ali (“Swan Song”) sat down for a virtual chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors, presented by Amazon Studios. For more, click here.This season, both Bradley Cooper and Mahershala Ali are pulling off a double act. Cooper’s fans can see him in two period pieces: As the lead of “Nightmare Alley,” in which he plays a tormented mentalist desperate for validation in the 1940s traveling-carnival scene, and as a key supporting player in “Licorice Pizza,” in which he’s a deranged version of the producer Jon Peters.

Maane Khatchatourian News Editor, Variety.com“Actors on Actors” is back with another star-studded season.Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Jamie Dornan and Ariana DeBose are among the awards-season heavyweights featured on the 15th season of “Actors on Actors,” premiering Feb. 18 on PBS SoCal.Gaga will be paired with a mystery actor, who will be revealed when Variety‘s “Actors on Actors” issue hits newsstands on Wednesday, for the three-time Emmy-winning series.

“The Eyes of Tammy Faye” star, 44, recalled her troubled upbringing and how it made her a stronger person today. “When people see me, I think they expect a different background than I have,” the northern California native recently told the Times. Chastain grew up with four siblings and a single mom.

Cate Blanchett had some kind words to say about her co-star Bradley Cooper!

Jessica Chastain is opening up about her background and how her childhood was different than what people would probably expect.

Not his finest hour. Jake Gyllenhaal let his nerves get the best of him when he met his costar Jennifer Aniston’s then-husband, Brad Pitt, in the early 2000s.

A perilous pregnancy. Jessica Simpson was hospitalized with severe bronchitis while 34 weeks pregnant with her third child, Birdie, in 2019.

The 355, the movie Jessica Chastain was promoting, she made sure she and the other working moms in the cast didn't have to choose between the project and their families, setting up a “kids” trailer on set. "I love bringing families on set," Chastain told .

EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Chastain is enrolling in The School for Good Mothers.

Gallery: 'My son would love it!' These actors all want to be superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (BANG Showbiz)'The 355’ - which also stars Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing and Lupita Nyong’o - follows a CIA agent (Chastain) teaming up with other international spies in order to recover a top secret weapon and stop World War 3. The ‘National Treasure’ star - who has three-year-old daughter with fiance Norman Reedus - admitted the set was also a great environment for their kids.

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga may have played onscreen love interests in A Star Is Born, but it’s their offscreen bond that has driven fans wild.

Clayton Davis Bradley Cooper is an established awards magnet, with eight nominations in the past nine years. Four of those have been in the acting category — for “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012), “American Hustle” (2013), “American Sniper” (2014) and “A Star Is Born” (2018).

Diane Kruger couldn't have asked for a better working experience on The actress opened up about her desire to work with more female co-stars, and how Jessica Chastain made sure she and the rest of the leading ladies got «paid the same» for the action film.«It felt great to work with girls, and there was no weirdness on-set.