TORONTO 鈥� Montreal conductor Yannick N茅zet-S茅guin says he employed a secret weapon in teaching Bradley Cooper how to conduct like Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming biopic 鈥淢aestro鈥� 鈥� an earpiece.
The star baton wielder says he occasionally had the A-lister don the device so he could guide Cooper through arm and hand movements that would be believable for music-savvy viewers as well as those familiar with Bernstein鈥檚 distinctive physical style.
N茅zet-S茅guin served as "conductor consultant" on the upcoming Netflix film, which Cooper co-wrote, directed and stars in, and says there鈥檚 far more to conducting than just waving a stick around.
The Grammy winner says he鈥檚 seen plenty of movies portray conductors badly and he wanted to ensure 鈥淢aestro鈥� was an accurate depiction of the craft.
N茅zet-S茅guin says the hardest part for most actors is to keep accurate tempo with the baton, especially while the other hand moves fluidly to convey expression.
鈥淢aestro鈥� opens in select theatres Nov. 22 and hits Netflix on Dec. 20.
鈥淚 can imagine how it is if there's a movie about tennis and the (actors) hold the racket badly," N茅zet-S茅guin says during a recent interview about another film he consulted, 鈥淒ays of Happiness.鈥�
For that Quebec-set music-filled feature, N茅zet-S茅guin says he choreographed movements for actress Sophie Desmarais to follow so that she could realistically embody a young conductor struggling to find her voice.
The approach was different for Cooper because, unlike Desmarais and her fictional character, the 鈥淪tar is Born鈥� actor was tasked with imitating a well-documented historical figure.
Cooper studied videos of Bernstein to nail down the way the 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� composer moved his body but that mimicry only captured part of who the man was, says N茅zet-S茅guin.
When it came to Bernstein鈥檚 technical prowess, that was trickier to master.
鈥淚 was there to actually try and frame it (and say), 'Yeah, but the beat needs to be believable,'鈥� says an animated N茅zet-S茅guin, who gesticulated freely while speaking as if conducting his own undulating delivery.
鈥淏ecause you know, there is a code there. The first beat has to be down, the upbeat has to be up and the side. And this I had to do and help him, guide him on this.聽
"Because he had all the mimics and everything of Bernstein 鈥� it was fantastic 鈥� but the right hand was not what it should be.鈥�
N茅zet-S茅guin, who also conducted the music for 鈥淢aestro,鈥� described Bernstein as a longtime 鈥渋dol.鈥�
鈥淗e also is very physical and every part of his body is expressing and so I always loved that. But of course the movie is also about tortured relationships and complicated moments with him being a closeted gay (man) but being married, which is very far from what I am,鈥� chuckles N茅zet-S茅guin, who is openly gay and married to Pierre Tourville, a violist with Montreal鈥檚 Orchestre M茅tropolitain.
鈥淒ifferent times, that's for sure."聽
So much has changed about how conductors are perceived as well, adds the 48-year-old N茅zet-S茅guin, whose bleach-blond hair and navy blue nail polish belie the stereotypical image of the staid and hoary conductor.
Cinema has been slow to catch up to the modern reality, he says, pointing to 鈥淭ar鈥� as especially incongruous to the cultural and social overhaul that he insists orchestra leaders have by and large embraced. Cate Blanchett stars in "Tar" as an imperious savant who gradually unravels when forced to confront her own toxicity.
The days of the ego-driven, domineering taskmaster are gone, says N茅zet-S茅guin, who juggles duties between orchestras in Montreal, New York and Philadelphia.
鈥淎head of its time, I think, conducting had to examine what it is to lead because it's all about emotions 鈥� music is emotional,鈥� he says.
鈥淪o you can't just decide, 鈥極h, I'm the traffic cop and it works.鈥� You have to connect to a deeper level. And therefore you have to accept your own vulnerability as a conductor because you're first and foremost an artist."
"Of course, there is a certain charisma involved and you need to be able to project your emotions to a certain degree, but it's true that it will work only if you're really true to yourself, which means also accepting your own flaws."
To feign perfection doesn't work anymore, he says.
"I don't think it ever really worked, honestly."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2023.
Cassandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press
