Bernstein family defends Cooper from ‘Jewface’ storm

Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper has been criticised for wearing a large prosthetic nose while playing the composer in an upcoming film.

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein on the set of Maestro. Picture: Netflix

The family of Leo­nard Bernstein has defended Bradley Cooper’s decision to wear a large prosthetic nose while playing the Jewish composer in a new film.

Oscar nominee Cooper – who wrote, directed and stars in Maestro – has received criticism since a trailer for the upcoming Netflix film was released online this week.

Critics said the decision to wear a fake nose plays up to Jewish stereotypes, and have dubbed it “Jewface”, in reference to the historic “blackface” practice of non-black performers darkening their faces for roles. Others have questioned whether non-Jewish actors like Cooper should even play Jewish roles.

The late Bernstein’s three children, however, have said they were “perfectly fine with” with Cooper’s decision “to use make-up to amplify his resemblance” to their father. “It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose,” wrote Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein in a statement on social media. “We’re also certain our dad would have been fine with it as well.”

Bradley Cooper arrives for the Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in May last year. Picture: AFP

Bernstein, the son of Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants, died at the age of 72 in 1990 but remains one of the best-known composers and conductors of all time.

He served as music director of the New York Philharmonic and co-wrote the Broadway musical West Side Story.

Cooper, a nine-time Oscar nominee, is best known for A Star Is Born and The Hangover films.

Maestro is a biographical romance about Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, who is played by Carey Mulligan.

Leonard Bernstein on the job in 1975.

Questions about whether actors, particularly white performers, should play real-life figures from ethnic minorities have long roiled Hollywood.

In recent years, the casting of non-Jewish actors to play Jewish roles has come to the fore. For instance, Helen Mirren drew controversy for portraying former ­Israeli prime minister Golda Meir in this year’s Golda.

The Bernstein family praised Cooper for “the depth of his commitment” to the project.

“It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or mis­understandings of his efforts,” they wrote.

“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.”

Maestro is due to premiere at September’s Venice Film Festival.

Cooper has already said he will not attend the premiere because of the ongoing Hollywood strike, which prevents actors from promoting their movies.

AFP