After dealing with criticism for carrying a prosthetic nostril in Maestro, Bradley Cooper has discovered one other ally. On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish group devoted to preventing antisemitism and bigotry, defended the actor’s option to don a prosthetic nostril to play Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein in his upcoming biopic.
“All through historical past, Jews have been usually portrayed in antisemitic movies and propaganda as evil caricatures with massive, hooked noses,” stated the ADL in a press release first made to TMZ. “This movie, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, isn’t that.”
Cooper discovered himself in sizzling water final week after the discharge of the primary trailer for his forthcoming movie Maestro, which he directed, produced, co-wrote, and stars in. Maestro follows the life and occasions of Leonard Bernstein, the legendary Jewish conductor and composer most well-known for West Facet Story, and his tumultuous 25 year-marriage to Felicia Montealegre, performed by Carey Mulligan. After the trailer dropped, Cooper was {accused} of being antisemitic, with many calling Cooper’s determination to put on a prosthetic nostril to play Bernstein an instance of “Jewface”—one thing that continues Hollywood’s shameful custom of stereotypical or inauthentic portrayals of Jewish folks.
The ADL isn’t the primary group to face by Cooper and his prosthetic nostril. Final week, Bernstein’s kids—Jamie, Nina, and Alexander Bernstein—launched a joint assertion displaying their assist for Cooper, saying that they have been “completely high-quality” with Cooper’s determination to don the prosthetic nostril. “Bradley selected to make use of make-up to amplify his resemblance, and we’re completely high-quality with that,” learn the assertion. “We’re additionally sure that our dad could be high-quality with it as effectively. Any strident complaints round this difficulty strike us above all as disingenuous makes an attempt to carry a profitable particular person down a notch—a observe we noticed all too usually perpetrated on our personal father.”
Maestro is about to make its world premiere on the Venice Movie Pageant September 2. Its North American premiere will happen at New York Movie Pageant October 2.
