Maestro's Bradley Cooper Responds To Leonard Bernstein Nose Controversy

With the SAG-AFTRA strike in the rearview mirror, Bradley Cooper is finally able to address the controversy from last summer about the prosthetic nose he uses to portray Leonard Bernstein in the fact-based music drama "Maestro."

The flap surrounding Cooper's use of the prosthetic in his portrayal of the famed "West Side Story" music composer emerged after the first trailer for "Maestro" was released in August. The actor was immediately called out on X, formerly known as Twitter, by advocacy groups. "Hollywood cast Bradley Cooper – a non Jew – to play Jewish legend Leonard Bernstein and stuck a disgusting exaggerated 'Jew nose, on him," read a tweet from @StopAntisemitism.

In an interview with "CBS Mornings" (via Variety) about his new film, Cooper said he wasn't caught off guard by the critical reactions to his use of the prosthetic nose, adding that he used the prop with good intentions.

"You never know what's going to happen. I've done this whole project out of love and it's so clear to me where I come from," Cooper told "CBS Mornings." "My nose is very similar to Lenny's actually. The prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet."

Bradley Cooper, who not only played Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro" but co-wrote and directed the film, said he contemplated not using the prosthetic nose at one point but ultimately felt he wasn't doing the composer's visage justice without it.

"I thought, 'Maybe we don't need to do it because we could take time off prep. But it's all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny's, and my chin," Cooper told "CBS Mornings." "And so, we had that, and it just didn't look right [without the prosthetic] ... we just had to do it, otherwise I just wouldn't believe he's a human being."

Immediately after the criticism of Cooper's use of the prosthetic nose began, Bernstein's children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina, issued a statement to Variety that defended the actor-director's creative decisions.

Noting that Cooper made "Maestro" with their cooperation and how they were touched by the actor-director's commitment to their father's legacy, the trio wrote, "It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts. 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 Anti-Defamation League also defended Bradley Cooper's use of a prosthetic nose to play Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," noting in a statement to Variety that the actor-filmmaker clearly wasn't intending on playing up any anti-Semitic tropes. "Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses," the ADL wrote. "This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that."

"Maestro" recounts Bernstein's esteemed music career as well as his lifelong relationship with his actress wife, Felicia Montealegre Bernstein (Carey Mulligan). Despite the makeup controversy, "Maestro" has already become an awards season contender, having earned a Golden Lion nomination for best film at the 80^th annual Venice Film Festival.

Cooper, who has previously been nominated for nine Oscars — including four for his acting work and one for directing — is also being honored in conjunction with "Maestro" with a Cultural Icon and Creator tribute award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards on November 27.

"Maestro" begins streaming exclusively on Netflix on December 20.