The Internet Is Not Happy With Bradley Cooper’s Latest Movie & Even the Subject’s Family Is Speaking Out
Two days ago, Netflix released the trailer for Bradley Cooper‘s long-awaited upcoming movie Maestro. In the movie, which hits theaters on November 22, the Oscar-nominated actor plays Leonard Bernstein, a Jewish-American conductor, humanitarian, and author, alongside Carey Mulligan, who plays Leonard’s wife, Felicia.
In the trailer, short clips of the upcoming movie gave viewers a glimpse of the love story the movie will dive into. But, despite these A-list actors’ stellar performances, one detail from the trailer stood out to viewers: Cooper’s nose. In fact, the A Star Is Born star wore a prosthetic nose in the movie – a fact that many viewers didn’t take lightly.
“The real Leonard Bernstein did not have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper is wearing in Maestro,” wrote one X (formerly known as Twitter) user. “I’m just so tired of this. #JewFace.”
The user continued, “There was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of [his] to play Leonard Bernstein. His own nose is longer! And I still would have preferred they at least give Jewish actors a chance to audition before automatically casting someone more famous. #JewFace.”
The tweets above summarize the frustration viewers are seeing: Cooper, a non-Jewish actor, chose to wear a prosthetic to make his nose long bigger to resemble Leonard, a Jewish artist. Given the historical context of stereotypes and hurtful associations between Jewish individuals and certain physical features, such as a prominent nose, some viewers found the use of prosthetics in this particular case to be unnecessary and deeply hurtful, evoking antisemitic sentiments.
With that said, not all of the internet had the same reaction to the trailer. In a few tweets online, users were seen not seeing the harm in the artistic choice.
“The Bradley Cooper nose drama is ridiculous,” wrote one user. “Leonard Bernstein had a big nose, it was a defining physical characteristic.”
“I’m not canceling Bradley Cooper wearing a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein, nor Daniel Day Lewis for playing a poet with Cerebral Palsey nor Jaime Foxx for playing a blind man,” wrote another user. “If you can’t tell the difference between an actor and someone making fun, get a life.”
Since the online backlash began, Leonard’s kids, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina Bernstein spoke out in defense of Cooper, who is not only the star of the movie, but also the director, co-writer, and co-producer.
“Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,” they wrote in a statement on their father’s official page. “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 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 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.”
Despite their statement, the internet is still unphased by their objections to its prosthetic use. “Just because the family is okay with that choice that should not dismiss the concerns of other folks within the Jewish community,” one user wrote.
Though you might or might not agree with the backlash, one thing’s for sure: Maestro just got a dip in their viewers in a matter of days.
Before you go, click here to see the best TV shows and movies about the Jewish experience.