Leonard Bernstein’s children defend Bradley Cooper against ‘Jewface’ accusations in Maestro
‘Bradley chose to use make-up to amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that,’ composer’s children say
Leonard Bernstein’s children have defended Bradley Cooper’s use of “make-up to amplify his resemblance” to the late composer in his forthcoming Netflix biopic, Maestro.
Following the release of the film’s first trailer on Tuesday (15 August), Cooper has courted controversy for wearing a prosthetic nose to portray the famous Jewish composer.
In a statement from Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein on Wednesday, they said: “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 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.”
It continued: “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.”
Described as “a love letter to life and art”, Maestro – co-produced by Hollywood heavyweights Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg – depicts the decades-long relationship between Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre Bernstein (Carey Mulligan).
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In the teaser, Cooper looks aged as he depicts the composer at different moments of his life. Bernstein died aged 72 in 1990.
Former EastEnders actor Tracy-Ann Oberman, who is from a Jewish background, compared Cooper appearing to have “a prosthetic nose” as similar to the use of blackface make-up.
She told her Instagram followers: “Cillian (Murphy) could play Oppenheimer because he looks like Oppenheimer and could get the power of the man’s story and Jewishness through the power of his acting, ditto Tom Conti as Einstein didn’t have to ‘wear’ a nose.
“If Bradley Cooper can’t do it through the power or acting alone then don’t cast him – get a Jewish actor.”
Cooper’s representatives did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
Binyomin Gilbert, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “We live in a world that is more sensitive to the racial portrayal of characters on the screen and which actors play them.
“Reasonable people can disagree on the extent to which that is a positive development for the acting industry. But it is the reality.
“Therefore it is astonishing that nobody thought twice about sticking a big nose on a non-Jewish actor playing a Jew.
“The filmmakers here need to show that they understand why this is a problem. A failure to do so would indicate that there is a double standard when it comes to the portrayal of Jews on screen.”
Actor and producer Jake Gyllenhaal, who has Jewish heritage, previously spoke of his disappointment upon losing a bid for the rights to a Bernstein film to Cooper, admitting he had been yearning to play “one of the most preeminent Jewish artists in America” for almost two decades.
Maestro will be in select UK cinemas on 24 November and on Netflix from 20 December.
Additional reporting by the Press Association