Bradley Cooper's Maestro role backed by American Jewish Committee after 'Jewface' backlash

Bradley Cooper came under fire once his newest project, Maestro, released its first trailer - revealing the Guardians of the Galaxy star using a prosthetic nose to portray the late Leonard Bernstein. 

The 48-year-old’s depiction of the famous conductor was branded “anti-Semitic” online with critics accusing him of doing “Jewface” and playing into “sinister” stereotypes as he also directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the Netflix movie. 

However, amid the backlash the Hollywood star has also received support from prominent voices in the community like the Bernstein family and the American Jewish Committee, further dividing public opinion on the controversial matter. 

Dr Alexandra Herzog, Deputy Director of the William Petschek Contemporary Jewish Life Department at the AJC, explained the complicated issue to Daily Express US, noting that while Bradley’s prosthetics are “reminiscent of problematic anti-Semitic stereotypes” it simply “does not harm the Jewish community”.  

She shared her support for the actor and some appreciation that he was taking steps to look more like the iconic conductor, but pointed out: “No one was shocked, for example, when Nicole Kidman wore a prosthetic nose in The Hours to portray Virginia Woolf or when Gary Oldman did the same thing in Darkest Hour to represent Winston Churchill.”

Though this may seem to be an issue of aesthetics, Dr Herzog argued that it’s rather an issue of representation “not just of a Jewish character but also of his Jewishness”.

The trailer also caused old interviews of Jake Gyllenhaal to resurface as the Nightcrawler star, whose mother is Jewish, was heartbroken that he wasn’t chosen for the “dream” role of Leonard, which reignited the dispute over authentic casting and drew in critics from a multitude of religions and backgrounds.

Dr Herzog cautioned: “In an era of bigotry and heightened sensitivity around the representation of minority groups, it is important to let the members of a minority group react and lead the way.”

She admitted that the debate over casting non-Jewish actors in Jewish roles is a divisive topic in the Jewish community itself but personally feels “casting should try hard to choose Jewish actors” especially if religion plays a vital part in the story. 

The deputy director explained: “In the case of Leonard Bernstein, he was born into an Orthodox Jewish home, he had a vibrant Jewish upbringing and being Jewish was an essential feature of his identity. So, beyond the physical transformation Bradley Cooper did, I am interested in seeing whether he was able to capture the depth of Bernstein’s Jewishness.”

Looking at Hollywood’s representation of the Jewish community throughout history, Dr Herzog shared a sense of regret that many iconic Jewish roles have been played by non-Jewish stars, even as recently as 2017 with Felicity Jones portraying Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Battle of the Sexes, but noted that this opens another door for Jewish actors. 

She continued: “Many Jewish actors also play non-Jews, investigating other religions, cultures, ethnicities, and expanding on their acting repertoire. It would be very limiting for Jews to only play Jewish characters, so the reverse of that is also true.”

In post-World War II cinema, antisemitism became a difficult subject to broach for filmmakers and audiences regardless of their religion and by the 1960s and 1970s negative stereotypes began to swing into play as the status of Jewish communities fluctuated in American society. 

Dr Herzog explained: “The competent Jewish mother of the Yiddish films such as 1938’s Mirele Efros becomes bossy, noisy, and nagging. Jewish men who were, like Maurice Shwartz’s Tevye in 1939, pious and compassionate characters became dishonest hustlers or neurotic figures, like in Mel Brooks’s The Producers.

“These stock types have persisted up to this day and have had a very negative impact on both the way in which non-Jews see Jews and how Jews view themselves as well.”

While she lamented that “the Jewishness of the characters is more often than not still connected to their looks, how they speak, their attitude toward money, and their relationship to power”, she highlighted: “Representations of Jews in films and popular culture should be more accurate and make sure not to reinforce certain antisemitic stereotypes and tropes, which increase antisemitism.”

The deputy director concluded that the ultimate deciding factor on the controversial prosthetics should simply lie in intent, saying: “There was no ill-intent as Bernstein’s family itself felt the portrayal was fair and accurate.”

Maestro is set for a limited theater release on November 22 and will be available to stream on Netflix from December 20.