Leonard Bernstein's family defends Bradley Cooper's prosthetic transformation for Maestro
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Composer Leonard Bernstein's family banded together to defend Bradley Cooper's use of prosthetics to transform into the famed musician for his upcoming Netflix movie Maestro.
Amid backlash surrounding Cooper's use of facial prosthetic enhancements to portray the Jewish conductor, the late icon's children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina Bernstein, released a statement stressing that Cooper "included" the trio "along every step" of making the new movie about their father, and that they approve of his portrayal.
"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," the statement read. "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."
The siblings also said they could "feel the profound respect and yes, the love that Bradley brought to this portrait of Leonard Bernstein and his wife" throughout production on the film, which Netflix is not explicitly billing as a biopic, though the project dramatizes Bernstein's life. "We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can't wait for the world to see his creation," they finished.
Netflix Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in 'Maestro'
Maestro marks Cooper's first directorial effort since helming the 2018 Best Picture-nominated film A Star Is Born. The film sees him portraying Bernstein — the famed musician who won 16 Grammys before his death in 1990 — opposite Carey Mulligan as his wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
Despite some social media users labeling Cooper's facial transformation as "horribly antisemitic," the superstar's latest film is widely expected to garner similar awards acclaim on the 2024 circuit, particularly for the performances of Cooper and Mulligan.
Maestro — also starring Matt Bomer, Sarah Silverman, and Maya Hawke, and co-produced by Steven Spielberg — debuts Sept. 2 at the Venice International Film Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release on Nov. 22 before hitting Netflix on Dec. 20.
Watch the Maestro teaser trailer above.
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