Bradley Cooper has taken on some intriguing roles over the course of his career, but his latest coud end up being one of the most compelling. He’s set to play late composer Leonard Bernstein in the 2023 new movie release Maestro, and the trailer teased the actor completely changing his look for the part. However, one of the methods he used to do that has drawn criticism. Cooper was accused of perpetuating “Jewface” while taking on the role and, since then, a nuanced conversation has been sparked. While social media commentators continue to speak out, a Jewish organizations are weighing in.
The specific point of contention stems from one of the prosthetics the Oscar nominee used for his performance. He sports a fake nose in the movie, presumably in order to better resemble the late conductor he’s portraying. After the first trailer was released, many accused the star of furthering stereotypes about those belonging to the Jewish faith. The American Jewish Committee, however, shared a statement with TMZ, in which it disagreed with the notion that the 48-year-old actor’s approach is harmful. All in all, it does “not believe that this depiction harms or denigrates the Jewish community.”
In addition to the AJC, the Anti-Defamation League spoke out on Bradley Cooper’s latest role. Ultimately, the New York-based organization echoed the sentiments shared by its fellow anti-hate establishment. It also shared a statement with the previously mentioned news outlet that layed out its reasoning on the matter:
Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that.
The two entities aren’t the only sources of support that the American Hustle alum has amid the controversy. Leonard Bernstein’s children are also in his corner, based on a joint statement they released after the backlash began to emerge. Nina, Jamie and Alexander Bernstein were disappointed with the response to the prosthetics. As they put it, their father “had a nice, big nose,” and they’re “perfectly fine” with the fact that “Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance.”
Maestro is Bradley Cooper’s second directorial effort following 2018’s A Star Is Born remake, and it’s arguably one of the biggest titles on Netflix’s 2023 movie schedule. Also co-written by Cooper, the film tackles aspects of the late music man’s career but also puts particularly strong focus on his marriage to Felicia Montealegre. Starring alongside the leading man are Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman.
There’s not telling whether this situation will persist in the lead-up to the film’s release later this year. At the very least though, it would seem that a number of reputable people and institutions are backing the production and Bradley Cooper’s approach to his role.
Maestro is set to debut at the Venice International Film Festival on September 2, and it’ll be available for Netflix subscription holders starting November 22.
