Bradley Cooper isn’t the first director to have a supposed “No Chair” policy on his sets. When promoting “Dunkirk,” Mark Rylance mentioned how Christopher Nolan doesn’t like actors having chairs or water bottles on sets. A spokesperson for Nolan later clarified for IndieWire that the filmmaker does allow chairs; he simply chooses not to use his. Perhaps Cooper will provide additional clarification for his “No Chair” rule at a later time, especially with all of the mocking he’s received since the Variety interview came out.
Some people offered jokes, but others chose to voice genuine criticisms about not allowing people to sit when they need to. For instance, X user @glitterbrainz commented, “This is so ableist. The fact that he’s proud of this is sad.” A similar sentiment was shared by @theunquietbard, “The words of a man who is fully unaware everyone around him is an individual human and not inanimate toys to be maneuvered and placed.”
Some came to Cooper’s defense, saying how he’d more than likely allow someone with a medical condition or injury to sit when needed. But the issue goes beyond that. Some production days can go for 12 or 14 hours. Even if someone is perfectly healthy, they still deserve to sit when they have a chance. It’s not just Hollywood where this idea permeates; retail workers have long fought for their right to sit, particularly when it comes to performing cashier duties and other responsibilities where sitting doesn’t hamper their ability to work.
If Cooper doesn’t want to sit, that’s his prerogative. Regardless of what he publicly declares, hopefully, people can sit when they need (or want) to when working on his films.
