Bradley Cooper has been accused of perpetuating an offensive Jewish stereotype by wearing a prosthetic nose in his portrayal of legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming film, Maestro.
The trailer for the film, which Cooper stars in, co-writes and directs, is centred around Bernstein’s partnership with his wife, Felicia Montealegre. However, reactions have focused on the prosthetic nose Cooper is wearing, with many suggesting on social media that it’s an offensive, stereotypical portrayal of a Jewish person, known as Jewface.
Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. Credit: Jason McDonald/Netflix
Widely regarded as one of the most significant composers of the 20th century, Bernstein is best known for popularising classical music; he wrote the musical, West Side Story, among many others. He conducted many of the world’s great orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, composed music for ballet, film, theatre and opera, and is credited with the modern revival of composer Gustav Mahler’s work.
British actor and activist Tracy-Ann Obermann took to social media to question the use of the prosthetic.
“If [Cooper] needs to wear a prosthetic nose then that is, to me and many others, the equivalent of Black-Face or Yellow-Face … if Bradley Cooper can’t [play the role] through the power or acting alone then don’t cast him – get a Jewish actor,” she wrote.
Another user on X, formerly Twitter, said: “This isn’t about making a non-Jewish actor look more like Leonard Bernstein; it’s about making a non-Jewish actor look more like a Jewish stereotype”.
In a statement on their father’s X account, Bernstein’s children responded to the criticism, saying their father did have “a nice, big nose” and that he would have been fine with Cooper’s decision to use make-up to amplify his resemblance to their father.
“Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,” wrote Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein. “We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father’s music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration.”
They continued: “It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use make-up to amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that.
“We’re also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well. Any strident complaints around this issue strike us above all as disingenuous attempts to bring a successful person down a notch – a practice we observed all too often perpetrated on our own father. At all times during the making of this film, we could feel the profound respect and yes, the love that Bradley brought to his portrait of Leonard Bernstein and his wife, our mother Felicia. We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can’t wait for the world to see his creation.”
Carey Mulligan stars alongside Cooper as Montealegre, Bernstein’s wife of decades, a Costa Rican-American actor and social activist. They met in 1946, married in 1951 and had three children. He had affairs with men and women during that time but returned to Montealegre, whom he considered the love of his life, until her death in 1978. Bernstein died in 1990.
Prosthetics have been the source of much attention in Hollywood films over the years, including James McAvoy in the role of Mr Tumnus, a half-animal and half-human faun, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The transformation won Howard Berger and Tami Lane the Oscar for best make-up in 2006.
Similarly, Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for best actress for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours in 2002. The film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best picture, giving weight to the long-standing idea that use of a prosthetic helps increase a movie’s odds of nabbing an Oscar.
Maestro will be released on Netflix in the United States in December with an Australian air date yet to be confirmed.
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