Bradley Cooper reveals he spent SIX YEARS learning to conduct music for his role as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro… for just six minutes of music on screen

Bradley Cooper doesn’t shy away from fully immersing himself in his characters, revealing that he spent six years composing music for Maestro.

Cooper, 48, returns to the director’s chair and plays composer Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming biopic Maestro, opening in theaters on November 22.

He revealed to moderator Lin-Manuel Miranda at a tastemakers screening in New York City that he spent six years learning how to compose… for a six-minute scene.

The scene in question was capturing Bernstein’s iconic 1976 performance as conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra at Ely Cathedral, which left Cooper ‘terrified’.

“That scene I was so worried about, because we did it live. That was the London Symphony Orchestra. I was recorded live, I had to conduct them,” Cooper said.

Director and star: Cooper, 48, returns to the director’s chair to play composer Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming biopic Maestro, in theaters Nov. 22

Six minutes: He revealed to moderator Lin-Manuel Miranda at a tastemakers screening in New York City that he spent six years learning to compose… for a six-minute scene

“And I spent six years learning how to conduct six minutes and 21 seconds of music,” he admitted, thanking his “great teachers” for all their help along the way.

“I was able to get the raw version of what I just saw Leonard Bernstein (conductor) at Ely Cathedral with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1976,” Cooper said.

‘And that’s what I had to study. And Yannick Nézet-Séguin made videos with all the tempo changes, so I had all the material to work on,” he continued.

“It was really about choosing exactly what I wanted cinematically and then inviting them to inhabit that space and trusting that they all did the work,” Cooper added.

‘Because I think I knew, I was terrified, absolutely terrified that if I hadn’t done the work I wouldn’t be able to enjoy these scenes. And everyone did,” he said.

Miranda praised Cooper’s “extraordinary directing style during the Q&A session, adding:”The metaphor of a director as a conductor does not escape me when I look at this.

‘And of course you love conducting in every respect. That sequence at the end is so insane and she’s standing and then she turns a little bit to the left and she’s there. I mean, that’s all one ongoing series, it’s really mind-boggling and incredible work,” Miranda added.

Miranda also cheered on Cooper using a Dream Ballet filming technique, which he thought “died with MGM musicals,” and joked that it’s now fair game for the next game and that made me very happy.

Six years for six minutes: “And I spent six years learning to conduct six minutes and 21 seconds of music,” he admitted, thanking his “great teachers” for all their help along the way

Real Leonard and Felicia: The real Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan in Maestro

Maestro had its world premiere at the prestigious Venice Film Festival, where it earned a seven-minute standing ovation.

The film and its tremendous reception brought Bernstein’s three children – Jamie Bernstein, Alexander Bernstein and Nina Maria Felicia Bernstein – to tears.

The film will have a limited release in theaters on November 22, followed by its release on the Netflix streaming service on December 20.

Cooper’s performance and direction were both praised in early reviews, so it’s possible he could land multiple Oscar nominations, as he did with his writing and directorial debut, A Star Is Born, where he was nominated for writing, acting and produce.