The 'A Star Is Born' actor has been defended by the children of the Jewish composer, whom he plays in the upcoming biopic titled 'Maestro', following Jewface outcry.
- Aug 17, 2023
AceShowbiz - Bradley Cooper is supported by Leonard Bernstein's three children amid his "anti-Semitism" row. The "A Star Is Born" actor, 48, has been criticized for the last two days since an image of him wearing a huge prosthetic nose emerged, which he wears to play Jewish composer Leonard, who died in 1990 aged 72, in his upcoming biopic of the musician titled "Maestro".
Blasting him for playing up to a "Jew-face" stereotype, many fans said the prosthetic was an exaggerated version of Leonard's proboscis. However, Leonard's three children have said in a statement, "Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father."
"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 are perfectly fine with that. We're also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well."
"West Side Story" composer Leonard had kids Jamie, Alexandra, and Nina with his wife Felicia Montealegre, who is played by actress Carey Mulligan, 38, in "Maestro", which is out in November and examines the pair's relationship.
The image of Bradley wearing his nose prosthetic was taken as he filmed the movie in 2022. Many social media users have used images of Leonard to show the composer's nose was nowhere near the size of the false one being worn by Bradley in the flick.
British soap actor Tracy-Ann Oberman, 56, who is Jewish and famed for her role in BBC One's "EastEnders", raged on Instagram, "If he needs to wear a prosthetic nose then that is, to me and many others, the equivalent of black-face or yellow-face. If Bradley Cooper can't do it through the power or acting alone then don't cast him - get a Jewish actor."
Another critic said online, "This isn't about making a non-Jewish actor look more like Leonard Bernstein; it's about making a non-Jewish actor look more like a Jewish stereotype."
