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Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper: Scene from the Netflix trailer for »Maestro«

Photo: Jason McDonald/AP

Bradley Cooper has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding the use of a prosthetic nose in the film "Maestro". In the biopic, the actor portrays legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein.

After the first photos and a teaser for the Netflix film were released in August, criticism arose of Cooper's decision to wear a prosthetic nose to play Bernstein, who was Jewish. For example, it was complained that the artificial nose served Jewish stereotypes. Critics used the hashtag "Jewface" on the Internet. The derived "jewfacing" refers to the clichéd or inauthentic portrayal of Jews – in reference to the controversial practice of "blackfacing", in which white performers dye their skin dark to portray black people.

When asked about the debate, Cooper said on the US broadcaster CBS that he had initially considered doing without a prosthesis. In the end, however, he decided to use them to resemble the famous conductor. "I thought, 'Maybe we don't have to do this,'" Cooper said in the interview. But it's all about balance, and without the prosthesis, "it just didn't look right."

Bernstein's family had already rallied behind the actor after the criticism arose. "It is true that Leonard Bernstein had a beautiful, large nose," wrote the late composer's children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein. They were sure that their father would have agreed to it as well.

Alexander Bernstein told SPIEGEL in an interview last year: "My sisters and I feel very comfortable with Bradley Cooper's approach and sensitivity. He consults with us to be as authentic as possible. His commitment to this project is extraordinary. His research, the quality of his ideas. He directs, he writes the script, he plays the leading role. I can't imagine anyone else doing that."

The well-known composer and conductor Bernstein, the son of Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants to the United States, died in 1990. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic and wrote the Broadway musical »West Side Story«. Bernstein led a double life – he was gay but married to actress Felicia Montealegre for 27 years. At the center of »Maestro« is Bernstein's complicated relationship with his wife, played by Carey Mulligan.

The nine-time Oscar-nominated American actor Cooper directed, co-wrote and stars in the film. Cooper is best known for his films »A Star Is Born« and »The Hangover«.

Cooper's makeup artist, Kazu Hiro, apologized to anyone who felt hurt by the use of the prosthetic nose. Speaking at a press conference at the Venice Film Festival, Hiro said he was surprised by the reactions. "I didn't expect that. I'm sorry if I've hurt some people's feelings. My and Bradley's goal was to portray Lenny as authentically as possible. Lenny had a really iconic look that everyone knows."

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