The family of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein has come to the aid and defense of Bradley Cooper, who will portray Bernstein in a film later this year.
Cooper, the director and lead actor in the film Maestro, has been criticized of using "Jewface" over his choice to wear a prosthetic nose in the film because Cooper is not Jewish. Bernstein's three children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina, issued a statement online informing the public that Cooper included all three of them on "every step" he took and that it "breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings" regarding Cooper's work on the film.
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“It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose," the statement read. "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."
(1/6) From Jamie, Alexander, and Nina Bernstein:
— Leonard Bernstein (@LennyBernstein) August 16, 2023
Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father. pic.twitter.com/y9xZWDotJe
The Bernstein family added that complaints regarding this issue come across as "disingenuous attempts to bring a successful person down a notch," noting that such a practice was one they saw "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," the statement read. "We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can't wait for the world to see his creation."
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Cooper directing Maestro and portraying Bernstein in the film comes after he won a rights battle to play the composer against Jake Gyllenhaal. In 2021, Gyllenhaal, whose mother is Jewish, stated he would have loved to play Bernstein on film but that "sometimes those things don’t work out,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The movie will be released in select theaters this November and will then be released to Netflix on Dec. 20. The streaming service referred the outlet to the Bernstein family's statement online.