Netflix
UPDATE: The family of Leonard Bernstein has released a statement defending Bradley Cooper and the film Maestro.
“Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father. 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. It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstanding of his efforts,” the statement from Bernstein’s children reads.
The statement from Bernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander, and Nina then specifically addresses the criticism of the prosthetic nose worn by Cooper in the film:
“It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use makeup 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 Berstein and his wife, our mother Felicia. We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we cant wait for the world to see his creation,” the statement concludes.
Original article:
Earlier this week, the first trailer and poster for Bradley Cooper’s Maestro were released, leading to widespread online criticism regarding what many consider to be the anti-semitic nose prosthetic he’s seen wearing in the film.
Starring in the film — which he also directed, marking his second feature film following 2018’s Best Picture-nominated A Star is Born — as legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, Cooper can be seen in the trailer wearing a prosthetic nose that looks much larger than the one Bernstein actually had, which had led to some movie fans accusing Cooper of perpetuating Jewish stereotypes.
https://twitter.com/jh_swanson/status/1691595112189407244
Martin Scorsese dropping out of directing MAESTRO so he could direct THE IRISHMAN led to a series of events that ended with Bradley Cooper doing the most anti-Semitic prosthetic job ever
— IrishMann Carl 🇵🇸 🇮🇪 (@bornposting) August 16, 2023
remember how bradley cooper basically stole the rights for this film from a jewish man who had been passionately trying to make it for years? and now he’s wearing prosthetic nose to play a jewish man and directing it himself https://t.co/xtqRpUfOpo
— elise | now @bisexualscrisis (@bisexualcrises) August 15, 2023
The response certainly isn’t the one that Cooper and Netflix were hoping for, as the film was previously regarded as being a potentially massive contender at next year’s Academy Awards given the pedigree of talent involved.
Some people on Twitter, however, are wondering if the award-season aspirations of Maestro are dead on arrival as a result of Cooper’s use of prosthetics.
*insanely* funny bit for Bradley Cooper to pour his soul for years into a passion project, creating what may well be a masterpiece, every element crafted to perfection, a sure bet to sweep the Oscars….. if only he'd not worn the comically offensive fake giant Jew nose
— docnoir (@docno1r) August 16, 2023
I really couldn’t like Bradley Cooper less after he portrayed a racist, lying war criminal, who openly hunted civilians in Iraq, as a hero.
That is until he decided the best way to depict Leonard Bernstein was with a made up, comically large nose. pic.twitter.com/re2aV0XJbq
— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) August 16, 2023
a lot of people are blaming bradley cooper for the nose thing in maestro, but i dont think that's fair. a creative decision like that has to come from higher up – certainly not from the actors. now let me just take a big sip of coffee and look up who directed the movie
— zach silberberg (@zachsilberberg) August 16, 2023
In addition Cooper as Bernstein, the film also stars Academy Award-winning actress Carey Mulligan as his wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. In fact, Mulligan’s name gets top billing on the poster. Still, the combination of Cooper and Mulligan has been relegated to a mere afterthought due to grievances with the decisions the makeup department made.
This feels especially sinister because Bradley Cooper’s nose is already the same shape and size, if not slightly larger, than Leonard Bernstein’s was. https://t.co/4GbCEFqvnG pic.twitter.com/bnOLLFn6JT
— Sarah McGonagall (@gothspiderbitch) August 16, 2023
(Make-up department presents Bradley Cooper with ridiculously huge nose prosthetic)
Bradley Cooper: (clenches fists, narrows eyes) …bigger https://t.co/CUrDJjKCLd— Haus of Decline (@hausofdecline) August 16, 2023
i am not jewish so big grain of salt here obviously. but bradley cooper wearing a prosthetic nose to play a jewish guy is crazy
— sorrel (@sorrelquest) August 15, 2023
Additional cast members include Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Michael Urie, Gideon Glick, Miriam Shor, and Alexa Swinton. The film — which was produced by filmmaking legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg — will release in limited theaters on November 22 before hitting Netflix on December 20.
Check out the official synopsis and teaser trailer for Maestro below.
Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core, is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.