Fans quickly took to social media to discuss the fake nose actor Bradley Cooper wears while playing Leonard Bernstein in the Maestro trailer released earlier this week. According to Bernstein’s family, however, they have no issue with it.
Bernstein’s family had no issue with Cooper’s nose
Taking to Instagram, Bernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander, and Nina released a statement on the brief backlash that Cooper has faced. According to the children, all three were involved in the film, and praised Cooper’s level of commitment, as well as his love of Bernstein and “sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration.”
“Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,” reads the statement. “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. It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts.”
The statement continued that it just happens to be a fact that the legendary composer had a big nose and that Cooper “chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance,” and they are fine with it.
“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,” the statement continued. “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.”
What is Maestro about?
Maestro will span over 30 years in telling the beautifully complex story of the marriage between Bernstein and his wife, Felicia Montealegre. Joining Cooper are Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, and more.
Maestro is directed by Cooper from a screenplay he co-wrote with Josh Singer. Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Cooper, and his Joint Effort producing partner Todd Phillips (Joker), Kristie Macosko Krieger, Oscar-nominated producer Emma Tillinger Koskoff (The Irishman, Joker), Fred Berner, and Amy Durning are serving as producers.
Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment is still attached to the project, which was initially set up at Paramount Pictures. The streamer will be giving the film a significant theatrical release before it moves exclusively to Netflix.
