Summary
- The Bernstein family defends Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming biographical drama Maestro, addressing criticism of Cooper wearing a prosthetic nose.
- The family praises Cooper for his commitment, love for Bernstein’s music, and joyful exploration in making the film.
- Maestro, directed by Cooper and co-written with Josh Singer, is a love story between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre.
Following the release of the first trailer for Bradley Cooper and Netflix’s biographical drama, Maestro, about the life and relationships of Leonard Bernstein, the Bernstein family has released a statement defending Cooper after online backlash was directed at the filmmaker and star. Criticism has been leveled at the actor with regards to a non-Jewish actor playing the legendary conductor, and most notably the prosthetic nose that Cooper will wear in the movie.
“From Jamie, Alexander, and Nina Bernstein,” the statement begins. “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.”
The statement then addresses the use of the prosthetic nose specifically saying:
“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.”
Heaping praise on Bradley Cooper and the effort that he has made to depict Leonard Bernstein and his life as accurately as possible, the family end the statement by saying they “feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can’t wait for the world to see his creation.”
Maestro Is Due to Land on Netflix in November
Maestro will tell a towering and fearless love story as it chronicles the lifelong relationship between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro, at its core, is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love. Maestro will explore the complex love of Leonard and Felicia, from the time they met in 1946 at a party, continuing through two engagements, a 25-year marriage, and three children.
Directed by Bradley Cooper from a screenplay he co-wrote with Josh Singer, and produced by some of the most seminal names in the movie-making business, including Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Todd Phillips, Maestro stars Bradley Cooper in the lead as American conductor, composer, pianist, author, and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein alongside Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre.
The rest of the cast includes Matt Bomer (Doom Patrol, Magic Mike’s Last Dance), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Do Revenge), Sarah Silverman (Wreck-It Ralph, Don’t Look Up), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Shrinking), Gideon Glick (The Pale Blue Eye, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Sam Nivola (White Noise), Miriam Shor (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), and Alexa Swinton (And Just Like That…, Old).
Maestro is due to be released in select theaters on November 22 and will then land on Netflix on December 20.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
