Bradley Cooper weighs in on ‘Maestro’ prosthetic nose controversy

Bradley Cooper has weighed in on the controversy about his forthcoming biopic Maestro, about the life of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein. 

Cooper directed, co-wrote and starred in the film, opposite fellow Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan. But as reported, the first image of the actor as Bernstein caught flak from some online, thanks to the prosthetic nose he wore. 

Some said it smacked of “Jewface,” but Bernstein’s three children and the Anti-Defamation League said there was nothing to be offended about. 

To CBS Mornings on Tuesday, Cooper said of the prosthetics, “I thought, ‘Maybe we don’t need to do it.’ … But … you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn’t look right [without it],” Cooper said of tests without the now-controversial silicone sniffer.

For the record, Nina Bernstein Simmons, Jamie Bernstein and Alexander Bernstein appeared with Cooper on CBS Sunday Morning over the weekend, with Nina pointing out that Cooper naturally has a “substantial nose” of his own without makeup, and describing “the fracas” as the “absolute nonissue of all time.”

Maestro will be released in select theaters on Wednesday, November 22, and then on Netflix on December 20.