Bradley Cooper ‘stole’ Leonard Bernstein role from half-Jewish Jake Gyllenhaal, with star slammed for donning prosthetic nose for part
Bradley Cooper has been accused of ‘stealing’ the part of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein from half-Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal after he was beaten for donning a large prosthetic nose for the part.
Cooper, 48, has been accused of being anti-Semitic by critics who believe he took over the role of Gyllenhaal, 42, and has also been accused of being ‘Jewface’.
The Philadelphia native plays the role of the legendary musical conductor in the film opposite Carey Mulligan, who plays his wife Felicia Montealegre, as the film explores their relationship.
Many have been quick to question why Gyllenhaal, whose mother is Jewish, was not cast despite previous interest.
The top two Hollywood A-Listers both pitched movies about the music star in 2018, but Cooper’s project won the rights to Bernstein’s music, effectively killing Gyllenhaal’s rival.
Cooper, 48, has been accused of being anti-Semitic by critics who believe he took over the role of 42-year-old Gyllenhaal, and is also accused of ‘Jewface’
The New York City-based group Stop Antisemites tweeted a photo of Bernstein before launching an attack on Cooper
Gyllenhaal announced his project first, on May 1, confirming he would be collaborating with director Cary Fukunaga, with Bron Studios, before the pair scrambled to get approval for the music rights.
In the end, Cooper came out on top, with Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese taking the rights alongside Paramount.
Gyllenhaal’s film – The American – was denied permission to use Bernstein’s music, including West Side Story, bringing the project to a screeching halt.
Since the first trailer for Maestro came out, Cooper has been criticized for wearing a prosthetic nose and accused of anti-Semitism.
The New York City-based group Stop Antisemites tweeted a photo of Bernstein before launching an attack on Cooper.
They tweeted: “Hollywood cast Bradley Cooper – a non-Jew – to play Jewish legend Leonard Bernstein and put a disgusting exaggerated ‘Jew nose’ on him.
All while saying no to Jake Gyllenhaal, a real Jewish man who has dreamed of playing Bernstein for decades. Nauseating.’
Maestro was named as one of this year’s most anticipated releases and marks Cooper’s first project as a director since his Oscar-nominated film A Star is Born.
Many have been quick to question why Gyllenhaal, whose mother is Jewish, was not cast despite previous interest
Bradley Cooper (left) can be seen in a trailer for the Leonard Bernstein biopic (right) on the left
Others quickly came forward to defend Cooper, who appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2020 announcing the film
Bradley Cooper’s prosthetic nose in the trailer for Leonard Bernstein’s biopic Maestro has sparked online chatter, with some calling out the actor/director, 48, for toying with ‘Jewface’ stereotypes with the exaggerated features
Others quickly came forward to defend Cooper, who appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2020 announcing the film.
They reposted the clip saying, “Here’s Bradley Cooper in January 2022 mentioning how STEVEN SPIELBERG had the rights to Maestro and first offered him to play Leonard Bernstein and then told him to direct the movie.”
So stop saying Bradley Cooper stole something from Jake Gyllenhaal. Spielberg chose him.’
Another said that despite the prosthesis, they felt Cooper was the better actor for the two’s part.
They said, ‘I love Jake Gyllenhaal with all my heart and loins, and yes, he’s actually Jewish, but Bradley Cooper is a better actor and filmmaker.
“I don’t know where his team was when he put the prosthetics on them, but I just can’t see Jake doing better.”
Some then doubled down on their accusations, calling the use of the prosthesis “completely unnecessary’.
Another added that “Bradley Cooper didn’t have to add a weird prosthetic nose to this to play Leonard Bernstein” since “his own nose is longer!”
Bradley Cooper is seen wearing a prosthetic nose as Leonard Bernstein on the set of ‘Maestro’ filming in New York City
Cooper plays the role of the legendary musical conductor in the film opposite Carey Mulligan, who plays his wife Felicia Montealegre, as the film explores their relationship
Some users said that Bernstein should have been played by a Jewish actor instead of Cooper, who is not Jewish
Cooper was spotted wearing the prosthetic nose while filming scenes for the movie in New York City in July 2022
On social media, many users sounded off on the size of the prosthesis, and some used a photo to show that Bernstein’s nose was nowhere near that size
One user commented that the Academy Award-nominated star, who is not Jewish, shouldn’t have even been in the casting discussion with “so many great Jewish actors out there.”
A third said Cooper’s performance 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 greatness of his own acting.
“Especially if Cooper was hired because of a Jewish actor. There must be a line.’
The concept of “Jewface” has been debated throughout Hollywood, with some people criticizing Felicity Jones, who is not Jewish, and playing the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the 2018 film On the Basis of Sex.
Another controversy came in the fall of 2021 when Kathryn Hahn, who is not Jewish, was cast to play the late comic book and talk show host Joan Rivers in a limited series titled The Comeback Girl. (The project did not proceed due to licensing rights.)
One of the biggest critics of Hahn’s casting was Sarah Silverman – who, in a tongue-in-cheek twist, plays the part of Shirley Bernstein in Maestro alongside Cooper.
Controversy erupted in the fall of 2021 when Kathryn Hahn, who is not Jewish, was cast to play the late comic book and talk show host Joan Rivers in a limited series titled The Comeback Girl.
One of the biggest critics of Hahn’s casting was Sarah Silverman – who, in a tongue-in-cheek twist, plays Shirley Bernstein in Maestro alongside Cooper.
On The Sarah Silverman Podcast in October 2021, Silverman said that “there’s a long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews, playing not just people who happen to be Jewish, but people whose Jewishness is their very being.”
Silverman said that “you could, for example, argue” 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 Gentile portrays a Jew with Jewishness front and center, often with makeup or changing facial features, big fake nose, all New York-y or Yiddish-y bow’
She wondered, “In a time when the importance of representation is so essential and so central, why is ours constantly violated?”
Maestro can be seen in cinemas and on Netflix from December 20.