Bradley Cooper accused of 'Jewface' as he's shown wearing prosthetic nose to portray Leonard Bernstein in new film
17 August 2023, 07:24
Bradley Cooper has been accused of "Jewface" after a trailer for his new film about the conductor Leonard Bernstein showed him wearing a prosthetic nose.
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The 48-year-old is playing the esteemed composer in the upcoming Netflix biopic Maestro alongside Carey Mulligan, who plays his wife Felicia.
Its release has been engulfed in an anti-Semitism row after the sight of the prosthetic exaggerated nose led to criticism that it was playing on a stereotype about Jewish people.
Bernstein's children have defended Cooper, saying it "amplified his resemblance".
But Dave Rich, the head of policy at the Community Security Trust, which helps protect British Jews from anti-Semitism, said: "It is very difficult to imagine that nobody involved in this film was aware it might be a problem to put a ridiculously outsized and pointy fake nose on a Jewish character.
"It is the kind of thing that should have been consigned to history, but unfortunately is still all too common today."
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.
Maestro | Official Teaser | Netflix
"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."
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Tracy-Ann Oberman, who is from a Jewish background, compared it to blackface and said: "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."
Bernstein, who was born to Jewish parents, became the youngest ever music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1958. He is best known for writing West Side Story.
He refused to change his name to "Burns" and insisted he complete his work under his real name. Jewish immigrants sometimes changed their last name to avoid anti-Semitism.
He died in 1990 aged 72.
His children have now defended Cooper.
Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein 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.
"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.
"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."
Maestro is set for a release in November.
