Bradley Cooper, a well-known American actor and filmmaker, has been facing criticism and controversy for wearing a prosthetic nose in the new biopic “Maestro,” based on the American conductor Leonard Bernstein. Cooper had been ignoring all the controversies since the moment the trailer was launched.
During his appearance on CBS Mornings on November 21 (Tuesday), his silence broke regarding the debate on his choice of wearing a prosthetic nose. Cooper revealed that in the beginning, he had decided not to wear it to enhance his features in order to become more resembling compared to the late Jewish conductor.
He added that he didn’t feel the requirement of it until they realized that none of his features are even slightly similar to his; neither the lips nor the chins are like Lenny’s. Henceforth, in order to become a little like him and make it look right, they had to use a prosthetic nose.
Why did Cooper have to face criticism due to the movie “Maestro”?
Cooper has recently been a part of the biopic movie Maestro, which is about an American conductor named Leonard Bernstein and mainly focuses on the relationship between him and his wife, Felicia Montealegre. It was directed by Bradley Cooper and produced by Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Cooper, among others.
The character of Felicia Montealegre has been played by Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper, as Leonard Bernstein, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman are seen in the supporting roles.
After the movie was released on September 23, 2023, Cooper had to face a lot of criticism and ongoing controversies just for his use of a prosthetic nose to become more resembling Leonard Bernstein.
The addition of the prosthetic nose was necessary in order to attain a more authentically similar look to Leonard so that Cooper becomes more relatable to the audience. The audience kept bringing up the controversies and judgmental opinions for him for quite some time.
How did Cooper react to the controversy?
At last, Cooper decided to weigh in on this controversy and explained that he never wanted to wear a prosthetic nose for the biopic, but the circumstances made it happen. Cooper explained the circumstances in the CBS Mornings show when he said, “I thought, ‘Maybe we don’t need to do it, but it’s all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn’t look right.”
Bernstein’s children also stood up in defense of Cooper as they said, ” They also added that their father “had a nice, big nose” and that the choice of makeup by Copper was just to “amplify his resemblance. “ They confirmed that they were absolutely okay with the decision, and even their father would have been fine with it.
The Anti-Defamation-Defamation (ADL) had also sent in a message of support on the matter. In a statement given to Variety, ADL also said, “Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that.”
Later on, during the Oscar-winning makeup, Kazu Hiro apologized to the audience by saying, “I wasn’t expecting it to happen. I feel sorry if I hurt some people’s feelings. My goal was, and Bradley’s goal was to portray Lenny as authentically as possible. Lenny had a really iconic look that everybody knows,” at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival in September.
The movie “Maestro”
Maestro, whose name comes from Italian, is given to a person who has enormous skills and talent, like a distinguished conductor of classical music. The movie “Maestro” is no different from the definition. The movie is a biopic based on Leonard Bernstein, who is an American conductor, composer, pianist, and music educator. He is indeed a maestro.
The movie tells the life story of Leonard Bernstein, and the core of the movie is his relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre. The movie has been scheduled for a limited theatrical release on November 22 before being available for streaming on Netflix on December 20.
The role of the main protagonist, Leonard Bernstein, is being played by Bradley Cooper, winner of the Film Tribute Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards 2023. He has been a part of accolades that include a British Academy Film Award two Grammy Awards, as well as being nominated for nine Academy Awards, six Globe Awards, and a Tony Award.
