Bradley Cooper is completely unrecognizable in the official trailer for his musical drama, Maestro, while depicting the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein.
Two months after he was accused of playing to ‘Jewface’ stereotypes for wearing a prosthetic nose in the upcoming film, which he also directed, an extended preview of the 48-year-old actor in character shows him playing the late composer over his entire life.
On Wednesday, the two-and-a-half-minute teaser for Netflix’s biopic, which hits theaters later this month before debuting on streaming in December, chronicled Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan)’s ‘towering and fearless love story’ over the years.
While portraying Bernstein in his elderly years, Cooper sported old age makeup, which included dark spots on his face, wrinkles and deep under-eye bags.
Transformed: Bradley Cooper is completely unrecognizable in the official trailer for his musical drama, Maestro, while depicting the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein
The aged version of Bernstein is a stark contrast to Cooper’s portrayal of the musician during his youth, which are filmed in black and white.
‘If summer doesn’t sing in you then nothing sings in you,’ Cooper said in the beginning of the trailer while playing the piano. ‘And if nothing sings in you, then you can’t make music.’
Footage then pans to a young Leonard, looking smitten, as he meets Felicia for the first time at a social gathering.
After their introduction, he later tells a friend: ‘She’s beautiful. Tell me about her.’
Following a scene of them snuggled up in bed together under the covers, she tells Leonard: ‘What age are we living in? One can be as free as one likes without guilt or confession. Please, I know exactly who you are.’
Leonard, who had affairs with men and women during their marriage, proceeds to mingle with clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer).
His sister, Shirley Anne Bernstein (Sarah Silverman), warns Felicia that there’s a ‘price’ to being in her ‘brother’s orbit.’
‘I love people so much that it’s hard for me to be alone,’ Leonard says. ‘And music, it keeps me glued to life.’
Despite his other romantic connections and betrayals, Felicia reminds her spouse that he doesn’t ‘even know how much’ he needs her.
In character: Two months after he was accused of playing to ‘Jewface’ stereotypes for wearing a prosthetic nose in the upcoming film, which he also directed, an extended preview of the 48-year-old actor in character shows him playing the late composer over his entire life
On Wednesday, the two-and-a-half-minute teaser for Netflix ‘s biopic, which hits theaters later this month before debuting on streaming in December, chronicled Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre ( Carey Mulligan )’s ‘towering and fearless love story’ over the years
Unrecognizable: While portraying Bernstein in his elderly years, Cooper sported old age makeup, which included dark spots on his face, wrinkles and deep under-eye bags
Throughout his life: The aged version of Bernstein is a stark contrast to Cooper’s portrayal of the musician during his youth, which are filmed in black and white
‘If summer doesn’t sing in you then nothing sings in you,’ Cooper said in the beginning of the trailer while playing the piano. ‘And if nothing sings in you, then you can’t make music’
Footage then pans to a young Leonard, looking smitten, as he meets Felicia for the first time at a social gathering
He, however, insists he ‘might’ know.
The rest of the cast includes Maya Hawke Michael Urie, Miriam Shor, Sam Nivola and Alexa Swinton.
In August, Cooper was called out by social media users over the size of his prosthetic nose in the film, which is much larger than Leonard’s in real life.
‘It seems completely unnecessary to have gone in that direction given the uncanny resemblance,’ one Twitter user wrote, before pointing out that ‘the real Leonard Bernstein did not have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper is wearing in Maestro.’
Another critic tweeted that ‘there was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of this to play Leonard Bernstein,’ as ‘his own nose is longer!’
Following a scene of them snuggled up in bed together under the covers, she tells Leonard: ‘What age are we living in? One can be as free as one likes without guilt or confession. Please, I know exactly who you are’
Leonard, who had affairs with men and women during their marriage, proceeds to mingle with clarinetist David Oppenheim (Matt Bomer)
One user noted that the Academy Award-nominated star, who is not Jewish, should not have even been in the casting discussion with ‘so many great Jewish actors out there.’
Jake Gyllenhaal, who is Jewish, had a competing biopic but lost in the battle of rights to use Bernstein’s material against Cooper and his producing team on the film, which includes filmmaking icons Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Another user said: ‘I still would have preferred they at least give Jewish actors a chance to audition before automatically casting someone more famous.’
One user said that Cooper’s appearance was both offensive and unnecessary to the actual storytelling process in the film.
‘Bradley Cooper wearing a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein is the equivalent of Black face,’ the user said. ‘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.’
One user, noting they rooting on The Hangover star in his quest for Oscar gold, said they could see the concerns over the prosthetic.
‘I love Bradley Cooper and I do want him to get an Oscar but – I understand the “jewface” concerns,’ the user said. ‘Carey Mulligan on the other hand COMMITS to her period pieces. That voice. She’s so lovely.’
‘I love people so much that it’s hard for me to be alone,’ Leonard says. ‘And music, it keeps me glued to life’
Despite his other romantic connections and betrayals, Felicia reminds her spouse that he doesn’t ‘even know how much’ he needs her
He, however, insists he ‘might’ know
The concept of ‘Jewface’ has been debated across Hollywood, with some people critical of Felicity Jones, who is not Jewish, playing late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the 2018 film On the Basis of Sex.
Another controversy come in the fall of 2021 when Kathryn Hahn, who is not Jewish, was cast to play late comic and talk show host Joan Rivers in a limited series titled The Comeback Girl. (The project did not move forward due to licensing rights.)
One of the biggest critics of Hahn’s casting was Sarah Silverman – who, in an ironic twist, plays the role of Shirley Bernstein in Maestro alongside Cooper.
On The Sarah Silverman Podcast in October of 2021, Silverman said that ‘there’s this long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews, and not just playing people who happen to be Jewish but people whose Jewishness is their whole being.’
Cooper (left) is seen on the left in a trailer for the biopic movie about Leonard Bernstein (right)
The inspirations: Bernstein and Montealegre seen together in 1943
Silverman said that ‘one could argue, for instance’ that a non Jewish actress ‘playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is actually called “Jewface.”‘
Silverman on the podcast said that “Jewface” is ‘defined as when a non-Jew portrays a Jew with the Jewishness front and center, often with makeup or changing of features, big fake nose, all the New York-y or Yiddish-y inflection’
She asked, ‘In a time when the importance of representation is seen as so essential and so front and center, why does ours constantly get breached even today in the thick of it?’
Maestro is set to arrive in theaters and on Netflix December 20.