Los Angeles, Dec 15 (IANS): Hollywood star Bradley Cooper recently spoke with director Spike Lee, and the actor struggled to remember the name of the film for which he unsuccessfully auditioned and Spike Lee rejected him.

The two men discussed ‘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, reports Variety.

“You were so kind to me,” Cooper said. “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.”

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’.

As per Variety, Spike 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’.

Talking about how he managed to both direct and act in the film, Bradley Cooper told Spike Lee: “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 defence.”

“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,” he added.