Bradley Cooper is sparking controversy over his prosthetic nose that he wears in the upcoming Netflix biopic about famous composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.
Netflix revealed the first official trailer for "Maestro" on Aug. 15.
Cooper, who did not respond to TODAY.com's request for comment, stars as Bernstein. He also directed and co-wrote the script with Josh Singer. The film focuses on Bernstein and his tumultuous 25-year marriage with actor Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein, played by Carey Mulligan.
Soon after the teaser trailer dropped, Cooper became a trending topic on X, formerly known as Twitter, with many fans criticizing the the fake nose he wears in the film.
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Some weren't quick to dismiss the film outright but cited concerns about "Jewface," which is a term that negatively characterizes stereotypical or inauthentic portrayals of Jewish people.
Netflix also did not respond to TODAY.com’s request for comment on the backlash.
"I love Bradley Cooper and I do want him to get an Oscar but—I understand the 'jewface' concerns," @MediumSizeMeech posted, adding that Cooper's co-star Mulligan "COMMITS to her period pieces" and celebrated her "lovely" performance.
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"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?" @hrt_beats tweeted.
"just looked up a picture of the real leonard bernstein…. the big antisemitic prosthetic nose on bradley cooper was definitely not necessary…." @stabfreeman tweeted alongside photos of the original maestro.
"Bradley Cooper is playing a famous Jewish man by wearing a large prosthetic nose that doesn’t actually make him look like Bernstein," @Sturgeons_Law posted. "I think this was supposed to be Oscar bait, too."
Others noted that Bernstein had been famously good looking in his day.
"The problem is that Lenny was hotter than Bradley Cooper. He was famously incredibly hot!" @RachelShukert tweeted alongside comparison shots.
Some people also commented on Mulligan portraying the Costa Rican actor.
"So... was there anyone (Jewish or not) who thought 'hmm, maybe we shouldn’t perpetuate a stereotype rooted in antisemitism?' Were any Ashkenazi Jewish actors even considered for the role?! And Carey Mulligan playing a Costa Rican woman?!" one person tweeted.
Another added, "Why is Carey Mulligan playing a Costa Rican woman?"
"....so am I going to be the one to ask why an English woman is portraying a Costa Rican woman," yet another person commented.
At age 25, Bernstein made his New York Philharmonic debut at Carnegie Hall. He also composed numerous stage musicals, including "On the Town" and "West Side Story."
The cast of "Maestro" also includes Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Josh Hamilton, Scott Ellis, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton and Miriam Shor.
Cooper had previously spoken about his admiration for the composer and how Steve Spielberg asked him to potentially star in his version of the film. Per Variety, the director was originally attached to direct a Bernstein biopic.
“I (told Spielberg), ‘I always felt like I could play a conductor, but may I research the material and see if I can write it and direct it? Would you let me do that?’” Cooper told Mahershala Ali for Variety’s Actor on Actor in 2022. “Steven has a lot of interests — he’ll just choose one thing and all of the other things will be on hold. I think he knew he wasn’t going to make that movie for a while. He was kind enough to hand it off to me, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last four and a half years.”
In a pivot from the streaming company's usual roll out, the film will have a limited theatrical release on Nov. 22. It will debut on Netflix on Dec. 20.
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