Bradley Cooper Stands by Decision to Wear Prosthetic Nose in 'Maestro' Biopic
Bradley Cooper reveals his transformative choice to don a prosthetic nose for his portrayal of composer Leonard Bernstein in 'Maestro,' highlighting the dedication and authenticity he brought to the highly anticipated biopic
Jon Kopaloff/WireImage; Jason McDonald/Netflix
Bradley Cooper is offering an explanation on why he chose to wear a prosthetic nose in the new Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro.
During an interview on CBS Mornings on November 21, 48-year-old Cooper revealed that the makeup used for his character in the film involved a silk sheet prosthetic to replicate Lenny's nose. Initially considering skipping the prosthetic to save time, Cooper ultimately found it necessary to achieve balance.
In the film, Cooper donned various prosthetic pieces to portray Bernstein at different stages of his life. "When he’s young, we had a prosthetic [around my nose] and then it just moves out so by the time he’s older, it’s the whole face," Cooper explained, emphasizing the importance of the makeup for believability.
Cooper, a non-Jewish actor, received criticism for his portrayal of the prominent Jewish musician and for perpetuating Jewish stereotypes with the use of a prosthetic nose. However, Bernstein's children - Jamie, Alexander, and Nina - defended Cooper's casting in a lengthy statement earlier this year. They expressed that Leonard Bernstein had a prominent nose, and Bradley chose to use makeup to enhance his resemblance, which they were completely fine with. They also believe their father would have been okay with it as well. They viewed the complaints as attempts to bring a successful person down, something they often witnessed with their own father.
Their statement persisted: "Throughout the production of this film, we were able to witness the deep respect and affection that Bradley infused into his portrayal of Leonard Bernstein and his wife, our mother Felicia. We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have shared this experience with Bradley, and we eagerly anticipate the world seeing his masterpiece."
Jason McDonald/Netflix
Cooper said on Tuesday that he was deeply touched by the message from the siblings, adding that he immediately contacted Alexander to express his gratitude. "I called him and when I heard his voice, I couldn't hold back my emotions. I was crying so hard, I couldn't even thank him," the actor shared. "And then he started crying too. It was an incredible moment. I was really moved by that gesture."
Despite the backlash over his portrayal of Bernstein, Cooper isn't surprised, but he emphasized that he took on the project out of love and it's clear to him where his intentions lie.
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Carey Mulligan portrays Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre, with Matt Bomer as musician David Oppenheim, Maya Hawke as Jamie, Sam Nivola as Alexander, and Alexa Swinton as Nina. Maestro debuts in select theaters on Wednesday, November 22, before streaming on Netflix starting December 20.
