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Burnt Q&A: Marcus Wareing's kitchen meltdown advice to Bradley Cooper

Callan Boys
Callan Boys

It's a stretch: Marcus Wareing and Sienna Miller in the kitchen training for the film Burnt.
It's a stretch: Marcus Wareing and Sienna Miller in the kitchen training for the film Burnt. Supplied

Marcus Wareing is a Michelin-starred chef and host of MasterChef in the UK. The former right-hand man to Gordon Ramsay was the chef consultant on Burnt and essential for the film's stamp of kitchen authenticity.

What was your involvement in Burnt?

I was involved in the film right from the very beginning to develop the script. When it came to make the film my team and I were tasked with bringing all the food to life. That meant menu writing, recipe writing, designing a fully fitted kitchen and designing the restaurant. It really became a point of every single thing you needed to open a restaurant, we had to cover and tick the boxes.

Bradley Cooper plays a chef on a mission to secure a third Michelin star in the movie Burnt.
Bradley Cooper plays a chef on a mission to secure a third Michelin star in the movie Burnt.Supplied
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Lead stars Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller really look like they know what they're doing in a professional kitchen. Did you have a hand in that too?

I spent a lot of time in my kitchen with both Bradley and Sienna directing them how to cook. Details like how to use a knife, how to lay a bench, how to dress your plate. Bradley had a knack for cooking already and an amazing ability to adapt himself into any role. Sienna really threw herself into it too – mastering the art of cooking meat, filleting fish and making sauces. I have a lot of respect for that – she's a good cook.

You've seen a few kitchen tantrums in your career. Did you give any advice to Bradley Cooper about how to throw an authentic chef meltdown?

Yes I did actually (laughs). Those kind of [tantrum] scenes don't happen too much in kitchens these days, but in the script it was something his character needed to do. I showed him how I would have done it by walking around the kitchen and pulling each chef to pieces, and he followed me around while I was doing it. He knows how to give a good telling off, that's for sure.

What do you think is more exhausting: a day on a film set or a day in a professional kitchen?

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Good question. A day in the professional kitchen is something I've been doing since I was 15 years old so it feels natural and the tiredness isn't that recognised. The film set is exhausting. Not just for me, but for everyone. Right from the very beginning [Burnt director] John Wells brought the whole cast and crew together on the kitchen set and said guys, "we're going to be in here for three weeks. It's going to get hot, it's going to get sweaty, it's going to get bad tempered, and it's not going to be easy." I remember thinking, "Well, that's the perfect kitchen environment, then. Off we go!'"

To celebrate the release of BURNT - in cinemas October 22 - Good Food is giving away a foodie adventure for two in London. Visit goodfood.com.au/burntmovie to enter. Entries close October 30.

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Callan BoysCallan Boys is editor of SMH Good Food Guide, restaurant critic for Good Weekend and Good Food writer.

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