New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Bradley Cooper biopic is looking for extras in New England
Leonard Berstein’s fans in Connecticut might have an opportunity to be part of a new biographic film about him.
The film production company behind “Maestro,” a biopic about Bernstein’s life starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, is hiring background actors, according to the casting call from Project Casting.
The shooting will take place at Tanglewood in Massachusetts from May 21 to 26.
“Maestro,” directed by Cooper and produced by Netflix, is looking for actors to play roles set in the
1940s and 1980s. The movie will focus on the relationship between Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, according to IMDb.
Bernstein was an American conductor and composer. He conducted the New York Philharmonic from 1943 to 1989, making 1,244 performances with the orchestra, according to the New York Philharmonic.
Bernstein also composed famous Broadway musicals such as “West Side Story” and “On the Town.”
While permanently based in New York, Bernstein spent a lot of his time in the Nutmeg State. In 1962, the musician bought a 100-year-old house in Fairfield, where he lived for more than two decades and which his family still owns.
“Maestro,” is Cooper’s second directing job, after his Oscar-winning movie “A Star is Born.” In January, Cooper said to Variety that he would start shooting for the movie in May, but the release date for the film is still unknown.
“All I wanted was to be a conductor since I was a kid,” Cooper told to Variety about the new film. During the beginning of the pandemic, Bradley Cooper was also rumored to be living in Fairfield after he was spotted several times at local restaurants.
Extras must be vaccinated, the post says. Hired actors will be paid but the announcement did not specify the rate.
“For 1940s scenes, men must be comfortable receiving a period haircut and have natural-colored hair,” wrote the casting company in the announcement. Restrictions to appear include no buzz cuts, crew cuts and shaved heads. Women also have to have natural-colored hair and preferably aboveshoulder length,” according to the announcement.