Bradley Cooper brings Leonard Bernstein’s story to life in the movie Maestro. But as he plays the legendary musician so well, many fans are wondering whether Cooper can play the piano in real life. Is he also playing it himself in the film? Here’s all the behind-the-scenes information you need to know.
Can Bradley Cooper play piano in real life?
Yes, Bradley Cooper took piano lessons for his films and can play it in real life.
Before his directorial debut with 2018’s A Star His Born, Cooper reportedly took six months of guitar and piano lessons to prepare for his role. So, he already knew how to work with a keyboard, but continued to hone his skills for Maestro as well.
Furthermore, he is known to be a trained classical musician and revealed that he asked for a conducting baton from Santa Claus when he was eight years old. Taking to the art of conducting since childhood, the role of Leonard Bernstein truly intrigued him.
Is Bradley Cooper really playing the piano in Maestro?
Even though Bradley Cooper knows how to play piano and we see his hands on the screen, the final recording of the film’s soundtrack was done by Victoria Ruggiero.
The actor-director lets Bernstein’s music shine throughout Maestro. Besides a few conducting sequences, he also included an epic solo piano moment from the later years of Leonard Bernstein’s life. With the scene being beautifully crafted and brought to life, it leaves fans wondering whether Cooper himself was playing the piano in the film.
Since he spent months conducting and training to play piano, we did get to see his hands on the keys in the final cut. However, Victoria Ruggiero did the final recording of the soundtrack during the piano scene to ensure perfection.
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