Because there is just never enough to be outraged about, actor Bradley Cooper sparked a “Jewface” controversy over the prosthetic nose that he sports in the upcoming movie about legendary musical conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein.
Social media users reacted to the trailer for the upcoming Netflix biopic “Maestro” which was released on Tuesday, expressing anger and dismay over the exaggerated schnoz worn by the actor and criticizing the casting of a non-Jewish actor for the role of the internationally acclaimed figure who is regarded as the greatest conductor of his time.
Cooper, who was raised as a Catholic and is of Irish-Italian heritage, also directed the film which is billed as a “fearless love story” of Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre Bernstein who is played by actress Carey Mulligan.
(Video: YouTube/Netflix)
“Maestro” is produced by Hollywood legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg who won the rights over a competing project about the great American conductor spearheaded by actor Jake Gyllenhaal who is Jewish.
Social media users vented about Cooper’s fake nose and the casting choice of the 48-year-old “American Sniper” actor for the Bernstein role.
“The real Leonard Bernstein did not have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper is wearing in Maestro. I’m just so tired of this, “one Twitter/X user wrote, adding the hashtag #JewFace.”There was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of this to play Leonard Bernstein. His own nose is longer! And I still would have preferred they at least give Jewish actors a chance to audition before automatically casting someone more famous.”
There was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of this to play Leonard Bernstein. His own nose is longer! And I still would have preferred they at least give Jewish actors a chance to audition before automatically casting someone more famous. #JewFace pic.twitter.com/l4oVaKIJlM
— Small Fringe Shoshi (@shoshido) August 15, 2023
“Bradley Cooper wearing a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein is the equivalent of Black face. He should be able to portray the character through the magnificence of his own acting. Particularly if Cooper has been hired over a Jewish actor. There has to be a line,” griped another user.
Bradley Cooper wearing a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein is the equivalent of Black face. He should be able to portray the character through the magnificence of his own acting. Particularly if Cooper has been hired over a Jewish actor. There has to be a line.
— Eve Barlow (@Eve_Barlow) August 15, 2023
More reactions to the great “Jewface” controversy:
Hollywood cast Bradley Cooper – a non Jew – to play Jewish legend Leonard Bernstein and stuck a disgusting exaggerated “Jew nose” on him.
All while saying no to Jake Gyllenhaal, an actually Jewish man, who has dreamt of playing Bernstein for decades.
Sickening. pic.twitter.com/YzudOstRAE
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 16, 2023
Ok whose idea was it to give Cooper a fake nose to play a Jewish character I just wanna talk
— robert (@robertjoscribe) August 15, 2023
Actual #jewface – this is Bradley Cooper & his prosthetic nose in Maestro about the life and love of Leonard Bernstein. pic.twitter.com/cEor8gnlYj
— Nicole Lampert (@nicolelampert) August 15, 2023
bradley cooper is putting himself in an insanely large prosthetic nose to play a jewish man in maestro and we’re all just supposed to act like that’s cool and normal ?
— skylar @ i want my followers back so bad (@hrt_beats) August 15, 2023
Bradley Cooper looked more like Leonard Bernstein before he applied that ridiculous fake nose to make him look like an antisemitic caricature of a “Jew.” No better than blackface.
Which tells us everything about how he relates to the role#jewface #antisemitism #racism #Maestro https://t.co/Ws4x4WFO3A— (((pro-choice Hillary voter))) (@morganarae) August 16, 2023
That looks boring, what’s with the fake nose?
— Peter (@EPLPeter) August 16, 2023
The actor first drew criticism last year when he was spotted with the prosthetic nose on the set.
“who the f**k made the conscious decision to say ‘oh yes, we’ll put a prosthetic nose on a non-jewish man to play a jewish person, brilliant idea, definitely not anti-semitic or a damaging stereotype in any way,'” wrote one Twitter user at the time.
“This towering, fearless love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein,” Netflix states of the new movie.
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