Bradley Cooper is struggling to remember the name of the film for which he unsuccessfully auditioned in the early aughts, and Spike Lee, the director who rejected him, isn’t much help. The two men are discussing “Maestro,” Cooper’s penetrating look at the marriage of musical genius Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre (played by a note-perfect Carey Mulligan) when the conversation shifts to this first meeting. “You were so kind to me,” Cooper says. “I was losing my mind because, as a young boy growing up in Philadelphia, ‘Do the Right Thing’ messed me up in the best way.”

And though Lee didn’t hire Cooper that day, he’s become a fan of his work as well as a friend ? the two bonded on the Oscar circuit when Lee was up for “BlacKkKlansman” and Cooper was promoting “A Star Is Born.” Lee thinks Cooper has outdone himself with “Maestro,” which he produced, co-wrote, directed and stars in, frequently high-fiving Cooper with an enthusiastic “Give me some.”

SPIKE LEE: I’ve seen “Maestro” three times. It’s the bomb, man. You were the director and the lead of the film. How’d you do that? Give me the science.

BRADLEY COOPER: I spent 20 years acting in movies. I was lucky enough that I had filmmakers who recognized that I don’t think like an actor ? that I actually think in terms of the whole story. They were generous enough to allow me to come with them on their journey. I was in one role for so many years, [but in fact] I was a sort of quarterback, really getting to know the plays and reading defense.

LEE: What do you mean?

COOPER: I was a filmmaker, but I was in the position of an actor.

LEE: You were calling the plays from the sidelines, not up in the booth?

COOPER: That’s right. And I learned how to help the director by being on the field. For me, it was such a natural transition, once I had the courage to write and direct a movie. But when I direct, I don’t watch playback. There’s no chairs. I’ve always hated chairs on sets; your energy dips the minute you sit down in a chair. There’s no video village.

LEE: So if me and you do a film, there’s no video village?

COOPER: When I ask you to come act in my movie, yeah.

LEE: No, I’m asking when I’m the director and you’re an actor.

COOPER: I’ll do whatever you say. I’m your actor. But I will say this about “Maestro”: I grew up on this movie. It changed me as an artist. And people may not like it. I’m sure they won’t.

LEE: Eff them.

COOPER: It is what it is, do you know what I mean?

LEE: They like it or they don’t like it. Simple.

COOPER: And I executed exactly my vision. And that was the result of just having so much time to think and write and prepare to act in this movie.

LEE: How many years?

COOPER: From beginning to end, six years. I showed up on set just dialed in. “American Hustle” was the first time I saw an actor stay in the voice of a character. It was Christian Bale. I had heard stories about Daniel Day-Lewis. I couldn’t figure out how someone could do that. Then I realized I was overthinking it. Christian just stayed in the voice, but we talked about his kids. It wasn’t like he saw an iPhone and had a heart attack. Ever since “American Hustle,” that’s how I’ve done it as an actor.

LEE: When you’re on the set, you give instructions in Lenny’s voice?

COOPER: Yes. I was playing Lenny throughout his life. I would spend three to six hours in the makeup trailer every day before the crew arrived. It was hilarious, because on days when I was young Lenny, the energy of the set was faster and we got more done. And then when I was old Lenny, it had a slower gear. If you ask the crew or cast, Lenny directed the movie.

LEE: How do you break the dialect?

COOPER: It was through working with Tim Monich, a dialect coach that Leonardo DiCaprio turned me on to years ago. First, you think, where’s the person from? And then, where’s their jaw or their tongue? Are they breathing through their nose? And you break it down like it’s a machine. And you listen to interviews with that person and then try to say it back. Eventually it becomes a part of you. In this case, it was different voices over his life span because Lenny’s voice dropped an octave as he got older, due to what happens as you age and also the amount of smoking he did.

LEE: How many packs did he smoke a day?

COOPER: He started smoking when he was 13 and never stopped. He was the kind of guy who had ashtrays by the bathtub.

LEE: Everybody smoked back then.

COOPER: Cigarettes are a character in the movie.

LEE: Let’s talk about Ms. Mulligan.

COOPER: My hunch is when Denzel’s your lead, you can really focus on the filmmaking.

LEE: Yes.

COOPER: Because I had this thoroughbred actor in this role, I wasn’t focused half the day trying to get Carey Mulligan to a place where I believed that she was serving Felicia Montealegre’s needs. She put the work in. And there’s very demanding scenes in this movie. There’s a fight scene that lasts three or four minutes where it’s one wide shot. Also, I have a push-in that lasts four minutes where she’s receiving guests when she’s dying of cancer. And I told her, I said, “Look, I don’t want to cut from this.” Because she has such a skill set as an actor, because she understands rhythm, we were able to make music together as Lenny and Felicia.

LEE: Talk about your relationship with the Bernstein family.

COOPER: I was forewarned about how tough the Bernstein family can be, that they shoot from the hip and you better have thick skin. But they were kindred spirits. When I pitched them, I told them, “I have a huge engine of energy that translates into a crazy work ethic. I don’t know what the movie is yet, but if you trust me, I’ll let you know if I can do this.” A month later, I came to them and said, “I want to make a movie about your parents.” I know that they were in disbelief that the IP of Leonard Bernstein was going to be translated into a movie about marriage.

LEE: When did they get a script?

COOPER: They were part of the process. They read many drafts throughout three or four years. [But] when we shoot the movie, no one’s allowed on set. [Producer] Steven Spielberg came three times, but other than him, there’s nobody. It has to be a sanctuary.

LEE: Lockdown!

COOPER: At fifirst, they were like, “Well, we’ve been such a part of it.” And I said, “Trust me.” I showed them versions of the movie, because we’re telling an honest portrayal of their family. If you came to me and said, “I want to make a movie about your dad and mom,” that’s heavy, man.

LEE: It’s family.

COOPER: Especially if I’m doing the work and they actually feel like it’s their parents breathing up there, which they did. I was very sensitive so that it wasn’t just dropping the thing at the end, because that would’ve been overwhelming.

LEE: Let’s talk about the co-writer, Josh Singer.

COOPER: Incredible guy. At first, Martin Scorsese was going to do it.And then Steven Spielberg was going to do a version of a Leonard Bernstein movie, and he had hired Josh Singer to write it. And that’s how I came across it. I read another movie about Leonard Bernstein and said, “I found the thing I love to do, which is write and direct movies. If you’re not going to do it, Steven, can I take it over?” And I said, “Josh, if you want to come aboard, I’d be honored.”

LEE: Man, you’re amazing. Got the skills in front of and behind the camera. What you did with “Maestro” is monumental. I get excited because when I see great cinema, I’m fired up. You did the damn thing. Whether people like it or not, I don’t give a you-know-what. I tell my students [at NYU], “You got to put the motherfucking work in. You can’t be faking the funk.” I could tell a student, “Camera here, camera here, wah wah wah,” but I think the most important thing I try to impart is work ethic. I don’t believe in overnight success. Young artists are told all these myths about how the hand of God comes out of the blue heavens anointing you as the next motherfucker. There’s no shortcuts.

COOPER: No, there’s no shortcuts.

LEE: Here’s the key though. If you love what you do, it’s not work. Would you sit in makeup for six hours at 1 in the motherfucking morning if you didn’t love what you’re doing?

Variety Directors on Directors presented by “Air.”