"Big antisemitic prosthetic nose": Bradley Cooper's nose in Bernstein teaser triggers Jewface controversy

Oscar-nominated actor and filmmaker Bradley Cooper found himself amid controversy when Netflix released the first teaser of his upcoming film Maestro on Tuesday, August 15. Maestro is a biopic of legendary music composer Leonard Bernstein, and it has been directed by Cooper, who also plays the role of the protagonist.

As soon as the teaser was released, Bradley Cooper came under fire for wearing a prosthetic nose to appear Jewish, since Bernstein was Jewish as well. In the summer of 2022, when the film was being shot, Cooper was first criticized for wearing a fake nose. Now, with the teaser, it has become more apparent that he has stuck with it even after it stirred a “Jewface” controversy last year.

Since the teaser became viral on social media, netizens have been calling Cooper out for taking a bad “risk” with the prosthetic nose, which is being deemed as antisemitic. Some people have even pointed out that Leonard Bernstein did not have such a big nose, which is why there was no need for it. In this regard, an X (formerly Twitter) user commented on how the "big antisemitic prosthetic nose" was not necessary on the actor.

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“He is using this bullsh*t to win an Oscar”: Bradley Cooper faces backlash online for portraying a prosthetic nose in Leonard Bernstein biopic

Netflix released the official teaser for the Leonard Bernstein biopic on YouTube on Tuesday, calling it a “fearless love story” between the iconic composer, played by Bradley Cooper, and his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein, played by Carey Mulligan. Titled Maestro and scheduled to release in the theatres in November and on Netflix the following month, the film’s 1:35 minutes long teaser gave an overview of what to expect from the movie.

However, netizens were displeased with Cooper opting for a large prosthetic nose for his key role and called it antisemitic, reigniting last year’s “Jewface” controversy. In fact, the 48-year-old Cooper, who is Catholic in real life, is facing severe online backlash for his fake nose in the film, which is being deemed as fueling anti-Jewish stereotypes. Here are some of the criticisms and opinions shared by netizens:

A netizen slams Cooper for wearing a prosthetic nose in Maestro. (Image via X/elise | wwidts spoilers)

Apart from the negative feedback from fans and audience, Bradley Cooper was also slammed by a colleague from Hollywood who is of Jewish descent. For instance, actress Tracy-Ann Oberman of Doctor Who fame told Page Six:

“If Bradley Cooper is able to play the Elephant Man without any prosthetics, he should be able to play a Jewish man without any need for prosthetics — especially a ‘Jewish’ nose.”

She further added that a Jewish actor should have been cast, and if Cooper at all wore a prosthetic nose, then that was equivalent to “Black-Face or Yellow-Face,” hinting that the move can be deemed as “racist.”

In contrast, Broadway star Joshua Malina, who is also Jewish, told the news outlet how he did not take any issue with Bradley Cooper’s prosthetic nose. Malina, who is known for calling out antisemitism in Hollywood, also added:

“Jews do not, in fact, have bigger noses than other people do; Leonard Bernstein did. That’s the end of the story for me.”

Maestro is Cooper’s second directorial venture after the 2019 film A Star is Born, starring him and Lady Gaga in lead roles. It was nominated for the Oscar in the Best Picture category and won the Academy Award for Shallow in the Best Original Song category.

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More details about Bradley Cooper's Maestro

The Leonard Bernstein biopic, set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, has been produced by Steven Spielberg and Martic Scorsese after the duo won its rights from the Bernstein family against the Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who was originally supposed to star in the titular role.

Moreover, Spielberg was initially supposed to direct the film, but later handed it over to Cooper, who co-wrote the script with Oscar-winning screenplay writer Josh Singer and worked in close association with Bernstein’s kids Jamie, Alexander, and Nina.

The movie is said to span over three decades and revolve around the complicated and tumultuous love story of Bernstein and his wife Felicia, although he was homose*ual in real life and had several alleged affairs with many men during their marriage.

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So far, Cooper has not issued any comment on the viral controversy.