2023-08-17 09:57:19
By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 39 minutes ago, Updated 9 minutes ago
This artistic choice was strongly denounced by Internet users and certain actors, because it would feed the clichés about Jewish people. Peterson Christopher/Splash News/ABACA
In the trailer for the biopic Maestro, the actor, who plays Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein, appears with a prosthesis that enlarges his nose. The conductor’s family defended their choice of actor.
Accused of “Jew Face”, the actor Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born , Very Bad Trip) is at the heart of criticism. Netflix unveiled the trailer for the film on Tuesday August 15 Maestro. In the biopic, the American comedian, who plays Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein, appears with a prosthesis that enlarges his nose. This artistic choice was strongly denounced by Internet users and certain actors. According to them, it would feed the clichés about Jewish people.
On social networks, users liken this false prosthetic nose to “Black Face”, this practice where white actors blacken their faces to embody the roles of black people. “The real Leonard Bernstein didn’t have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper wears in Maestro, reports a user at Montreal newspaper. It seems completely pointless to have gone in this direction given the uncanny resemblance». The Jewish actress Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders) also reacted to the case in Page Six. «If Bradley Cooper is able to play Elephant Man without any prosthetics, he should be able to play a jewish man without the need for prostheticsshe reports.
Daniel Fienberg, critic of Hollywood Reporterhad also deemed the wearing of this prosthesis “problematic” in May 2022, when the first images of Maestro were revealed by Netflix. But Bradley Cooper still received support from Jewish actor Joshua Malina, star of West Wing. «Jews don’t have bigger noses than others, Leonard Bernstein does. That’s all there is to it for me.»
Read alsoBradley Cooper at the controls of the biopic on the brilliant Leonard Bernstein
Support from the Bernstein family
«These reviews broke our hearts“report Jamie, Alexander and Nina, the three children of Leonard Bernstein. The composer’s family defended Bradley Cooper on Wednesday August 16 on X (formerly Twitter). In a statement, the siblings claim to be “totally agree» with the choice «to use tricks to amplify the resemblancewith their father. “It turns out that Leonard Bernstein had a nice big nose. Bradley Cooper Chose This Makeup To Emphasize The Likeness, And We Have No Problem With Itreacted Jamie, Alexander and Nina. We are also certain that our father would not have had a problem with this.According to the composer’s children, these criticisms are “a dishonest attempt to put a successful person down a notch – a practice we have seen too often against our own father.»
Written and directed by Bradley Cooper, Maestro tackles the tormented relationship between Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, played by Carey Mulligan (Gatsby the magnificent). The film, which is due to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, could make the comedian a contender for the Best Actor Oscar. The feature film should be available on the Netflix platform in December.
To read alsoChrista Ludwig: “Leonard Bernstein did not make music, he was!”
The Bernstein family, of Jewish and Ukrainian descent, immigrated to the United States in 1918. Composer Léonard Bernstein became one of the greatest conductors of his time. The American notably conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and remains in the annals for his score of West Side Story, a major Broadway hit. He was married to Felicia Montealegre for almost 25 years, before leaving her to live out his homosexuality in the 1970s. Bernstein died in 1990 of lung cancer.
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