Maestro: Bradley Cooper’s fake nose is controversial, the composer’s family comes to his defense

Many Internet users accuse the actor-director of reinforcing the physical clichés around the Jewish community because of his prosthetic nose to embody Leonard Bernstein.

five years later A Star is Born, Bradley Copper has been under fire from critics since the announcement of his return in front of and behind the camera, in his new film dedicated to the composer Leonard Bernstein, Maestro.

Wishing to trace and bring to the screen the life of one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, he finds himself in the viewfinder of Internet users who have rather focused on a detail of appearance, as soon as the first teaser comes out where we find a transformed Bradley Cooper. At the heart of the controversy: “false nose” prominent that the actor wears (yet accustomed to extreme look changes) to embody Bernstein, and who would participate in fueling anti-Semitic stereotypes about Jews, religion of the famous composer, son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants.

A simple cinema prosthesis which provoked strong reactions and which made, for its detractors, the American actor / director guilty of “jew face”. British actress Tracy Ann Oberman even compared the gesture to a “black face”a racist practice of painting your face black. “All actors should be able to play any role using their talent. Unfortunately, we live in a time when issues of representation of ethnicities and minorities are very sensitive and the subject of much debate”she said before noting that Cillian Murphy And Tom Contiwho are not Jewish, did not need prosthetics to successfully portray J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein in the film Oppenheimer by Christopher Nolan.

The children of the conductor are not of the same opinion. In a statement posted on social networks, they came to the defense of Bradley Cooper and regretted the controversy around what they consider more of an artistic choice. They claimed to be “totally agree” with his decision to use tricks to amplify his resemblance to the one particularly known for having conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

“It turns out that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose that makeup to accentuate the likeness, and we have no problem with that. We’re also sure our dad would have thought the same.”said Nina, Jamie and Alexander Bernstein to show their support for the actor who borrowed the features of their father.

“These reviews broke our hearts”added the three children of the composer of the famous musical West Side Story. “Bradley Cooper included us on this journey when he made this film about our father. We were deeply touched by his investment”they confided in reaction to the many criticisms which are, for them, “a dishonest attempt to downgrade a successful person” – a practice they have “too often observed against (their) own father”they point out.

Bradley Cooper, in addition to playing the main role, also co-wrote and directed Maestro which must be presented to the Venice Film Festival early September and released on the Netflix platform next December.

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