Bradley Cooper - 'Jewface'

Bradley Cooper criticised for wearing prosthetic nose to portray Jewish conductor Leonard Bernsteinhttps://t.co/lVkdWQTwq7

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 17, 2023

Bradley Cooper defended by Leonard Bernstein's family amid 'Jewface' accusations https://t.co/GWC9lYad98

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 17, 2023

I wonder how many people complaining about the prosthetic nose are really familiar with Leonard Bernstein. It's not enough to compare one photo of the conductor posted on X with one photo of Bradley Cooper as Bernstein.

I assume Bernstein's children are more acquainted with their father's appearance than the perpetually offended and outraged. If the family is pleased with the portrayal of their father, as they are, the "Jewface" uproar from these strangers seems a bit odd. The family certainly would have objected to the prosthetic nose during the film's production if they considered it inappropriate.

Bernstein's children released the following statement on Instagram:

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 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.

I'm sure Bradley Cooper in no way intended to mock Bernstein and reduce him to a caricature.

That should be obvious. And it should be the end of any controversy.

Discover the fearless love story between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.

Maestro — starring Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper — is in select theaters November 22 and on Netflix December 20. pic.twitter.com/fWT2YoRzef

— Netflix (@netflix) August 15, 2023