Bradley Cooper Says He Doesn't Allow Chairs on His Movie Sets: 'Your Energy Dips the Minute You Sit Down'

"I’ve always hated chairs on sets," Cooper told Spike Lee in a conversation for 'Variety'

Bradley Cooper likes to keep things moving.

In a conversation with fellow filmmaker Spike Lee for Variety, the Maestro director, co-writer and star revealed that he doesn't allow chairs on the sets of movies he directs.

"When I direct, I don’t watch playback. There’s no chairs," said Cooper, 48. "I’ve always hated chairs on sets; your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair. There’s no video village."

Despite not getting a sitting break, Cooper told Lee, 66, that he "executed exactly my vision" with Maestro, which chronicles the romance between Leonard Bernstein (played by Cooper) and wife Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan).

"And that was the result of just having so much time to think and write and prepare to act in this movie," he added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Related: Christopher Nolan Denies Anne Hathaway's Claim That He Bans Chairs from Movie Sets

Aside from his directing duties, Cooper went to great lengths to resemble famed musical genius Bernstein in Maestro.

As Bernstein's daughter Jamie, the oldest of his three children, recently told PEOPLE, "We had no idea that Bradley had this level of intensity and commitment about a thing when he got it in his grip."

"There are even certain moments in the film, when he's in motion, where he looks so exactly like our dad it makes us gasp," she shared.

Throughout the long process of making the film, Cooper kept in constant contact with Bernstein's children — Jamie, 71, plus Alexander, 68, and Nina, 61 — to ensure he was on track to capturing their father.

"The way he embraced us as he went along in this project — he was so open-hearted," said Jamie. "We wound up feeling like we could trust him."

Related: Every Best Director Oscar Winner, Ever

Cooper attended the Los Angeles premiere of his film on Tuesday, with a very special guest in tow: 6-year-old Lea De Seine, whom he shares with ex Irina Shayk.

At one point, Lea and a friend even pulled out a coloring book and sat down on the red carpet to entertain themselves, as Cooper chatted with costar Mulligan, 38.

Lea makes a cameo in Maestro, playing the younger version of Maya Hawke's character — and her mom couldn't be more proud.

On Tuesday, Shayk posted a sweet message on Instagram in honor of the film, sharing a movie poster for Maestro featuring Lea dancing with Mulligan while Cooper props himself up on the grass.

"Congrats @maestrofilm," wrote the model, 37. "So proud Daddy and Lea 💕."

Maestro premiered in select theaters in November, and will be available to stream Wednesday on Netflix.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.