Bradley Cooper is facing backlash for wearing a prosthetic nose to play Jewish composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in the upcoming film "Maestro."
Viewers were given a glimpse of the biopic, co-produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Tuesday when the first trailer was released.
As the Independent noted, Cooper and co-star Carey Mulligan, who plays Bernstein's wife, both wore prosthetic noses in order to play older versions of their characters. However, Cooper has been criticized for promoting a Jewish stereotype by wearing a fake nose that appears to be larger than Bernstein’s actual nose.
"All actors should be able to play any part with their skill. However we are living in times where there is huge sensitivity and debate over ethnic and minority representation," British actor Tracy-Ann Oberman wrote in a social media post cited by the Independent.
"If Bradley Cooper green lights your film to play the Jewish composer Bernstein and you want him over a Jewish A-Lister who can equally play that role — then let Bradley Cooper’s acting be so magnificent and truthful that the character of Bernstein shines through what he already looks like," she continued, according to the outlet.
Oberman went on to compare Cooper's use of prosthetics to Blackface or Yellowface. She noted that actors like Cillian Murphy and Tom Conti, who are not Jewish, successfully portrayed characters without prosthetics in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer."
"If Bradley Cooper can’t do it through the power of acting alone then don’t cast him — get a Jewish actor," she concluded, according to the Independent.
"Bradley Cooper should not be playing Leonard Bernstein. He should not be wearing a prosthetic nose," added author Ben M. Freeman on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This is Jew-face & is as serous & offensive as Black-face or the racialising of other minorities."
Other critics have pointed out that Cooper's prosthetic nose appears to be noticeably larger than Bernstein's actual nose.
"This isn’t about making a non-Jewish actor look more like Leonard Bernstein; it’s about making a non-Jewish actor look more like a Jewish stereotype," Joel Swanson wrote on X. The post was accompanied by a photo showing Cooper in character, and an image of Bernstein.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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