Cooper drew criticism for playing the Jewish composer with a prosthetic nose. Now he had backup.
The first trailer for Bradley Cooper’s new film “Maestro” caused negative reactions on the Internet. In the strip, Cooper plays composer Leonard Bernstein (“West Side Story”), who was of Jewish descent. In order to look more like Bernstein, the actor wore a fake nose, which was perceived by representatives of the Jewish community as serving anti-Semitic stereotypes. Bernstein’s children, meanwhile, expressed their support for Cooper.
Bernstein Kids on Cooper’s Prosthesis: “Dad Wouldn’t Have Had a Problem With It”
Although many film critics already thought of “Maestro” as a hot Oscar contender, there were discussions about the casting of the leading role. Bradley Cooper, who also directed the film, has Italian-Irish roots – while Bernstein’s parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. The nasal prosthesis, which can be seen in the trailer, caused further resentment.
Jewish people and organizations took to social media to voice their criticism of Cooper’s makeup. “Disgusting” is what it says, for example, on the X profile (formerly Twitter) of the “StopAntisemitism” association. Joel Swanson, a doctoral candidate in the Modern Jewish History department at the University of Chicago, accused the production of “making a non-Jewish actor look more like a Jewish stereotype.”
Now Bernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander and Nina spoke up and defended Bradley Cooper: “We were very touched by [Coopers] profound commitment, his love for our father’s music and his clear, open-hearted joy that he found in his research,” the siblings said in a joint statement on X. “It breaks our hearts that his efforts are seen as a misrepresentation.”
The Bernstein heirs also wrote: “It is true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley decided to use makeup to reinforce the resemblance, and we’re totally fine with that. We’re sure Dad wouldn’t have had a problem with that either.” They also called the social media outcry a dishonest hate campaign and thanked Cooper.
Neither Bradley Cooper nor Netflix, the film’s producers and distributors, have commented on the scandal. Maestro, which will also star Carey Mulligan alongside Cooper, will be available on Netflix December 20th.