Leonard Bernstein’s children say they are “perfectly fine” with Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of their father after the actor faced criticism for wearing a large prosthetic nose.
A new trailer for the film portraying the American conductor reignited a new "Jewface" debate after Cooper wore makeup to look more like Bernstein.
Netflix released the teaser for the film Maestro yesterday, starring Cooper alongside Carey Mulligan in what has been described as a "fearless love story" between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
Discover the fearless love story between cultural icon Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
— Netflix (@netflix) August 15, 2023
Maestro — starring Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper — is in select theaters November 22 and on Netflix December 20. pic.twitter.com/fWT2YoRzef
In a statement posted online his children Jamie, Alexander, & Nina Bernstein said the actor included the family “along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father.”
The three said: “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.”
They said any criticism of the actor was "heartbreaking" and described it as “misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts.”
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His children added: “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.“
"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.
“We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can't wait for the world to see his creation.”
Last year, when stills of the film were first released, many Jews said that the choice to give him the exaggerated nose played into antisemitic stereotypes.
Cooper, who is directing the film as well as starring in it, has not addressed the criticisms since they were first raised in May 2022. Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal was reportedly in talks to play Bernstein but lost out to Cooper.
