Bradley Cooper and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Deadline via Getty; Jason McDonald/NetflixBradley Cooperis addressing backlash over wearing a prosthetic nose in portraying legendary composerLeonard BernsteininMaestro.Cooper, 48, and his costarCarey Mulliganappeared onCBS MorningsTuesday to discuss the new movie with host Gayle King, and Cooper shared during the interview that he initiallyconsidered not using the prostheticfor the movie.“Nothing really catches me off guard. You never know what’s going to happen," he said, when asked whether the backlash to the prosthetic nose surprised him. “The truth is, I’ve done this whole project out of love, and it’s so clear to me where I come from — my nose is very similar to Lenny’s, actually. The prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet.”“I thought, ‘Maybe we don’t need to do it, because we can take time off [preparations for the film],’ " added Cooper, who also co-wrote and directedMaestro. “But it’s all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn’t look right.“Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’.Jason McDonald/NetflixBernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander and Nina shared astatementback in August shortly after themovie’s first trailer releasedin which theyreaffirmed their support for Cooperand his portrayal of their father, who died in 1990 at 72.“It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose,” Bernstein’s children wrote in the statement. “Bradleychose to use makeupto amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that. We’re also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in ‘Maestro’.Jason McDonald/NetflixWhile speaking with King, Cooper recalled crying on the phone while speaking with Alex Bernstein to thank him and his siblings for releasing that statement.“I couldn’t believe it, but this huge emotional exhalation came out, and I just was crying so hard, I couldn’t even thank him,” Cooper said. “And he started crying. It was an incredible moment. Sometimes you don’t even know what’s going on, you know. I couldn’t believe that gesture. It was very moving to me.“TheAnti-Defamation Leaguepreviously told PEOPLE it did not view Cooper’s use of prosthetics in the film as antisemitic, saying in a statement: “Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that.“Leonard Bernstein (left) and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’ (right).Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty; NetflixAt a New York Film Festival press conference for the movie in October,Maestro’s makeup designer Kazu Hiro said thatCooper utilized a nose plugwithinthe prosthetic noseto make his voice sound closer to Bernstein’s.“We made a nose plug. He wanted to talk like and sound like Lenny,” Hiro explained of Cooper’s request to “change his voice.” “Lenny’s nose was wider than Bradley’s, so I made it wider at the same time to change his nose shape and voice too.“Maestrois on Netflix Dec. 20.
Bradley Cooper and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’.Photo:Gilbert Flores/Deadline via Getty; Jason McDonald/Netflix
Gilbert Flores/Deadline via Getty; Jason McDonald/Netflix
Bradley Cooperis addressing backlash over wearing a prosthetic nose in portraying legendary composerLeonard BernsteininMaestro.Cooper, 48, and his costarCarey Mulliganappeared onCBS MorningsTuesday to discuss the new movie with host Gayle King, and Cooper shared during the interview that he initiallyconsidered not using the prostheticfor the movie.“Nothing really catches me off guard. You never know what’s going to happen,” he said, when asked whether the backlash to the prosthetic nose surprised him. “The truth is, I’ve done this whole project out of love, and it’s so clear to me where I come from — my nose is very similar to Lenny’s, actually. The prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet.”“I thought, ‘Maybe we don’t need to do it, because we can take time off [preparations for the film],’ " added Cooper, who also co-wrote and directedMaestro. “But it’s all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn’t look right.“Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’.Jason McDonald/NetflixBernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander and Nina shared astatementback in August shortly after themovie’s first trailer releasedin which theyreaffirmed their support for Cooperand his portrayal of their father, who died in 1990 at 72.“It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose,” Bernstein’s children wrote in the statement. “Bradleychose to use makeupto amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that. We’re also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in ‘Maestro’.Jason McDonald/NetflixWhile speaking with King, Cooper recalled crying on the phone while speaking with Alex Bernstein to thank him and his siblings for releasing that statement.“I couldn’t believe it, but this huge emotional exhalation came out, and I just was crying so hard, I couldn’t even thank him,” Cooper said. “And he started crying. It was an incredible moment. Sometimes you don’t even know what’s going on, you know. I couldn’t believe that gesture. It was very moving to me.“TheAnti-Defamation Leaguepreviously told PEOPLE it did not view Cooper’s use of prosthetics in the film as antisemitic, saying in a statement: “Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that.“Leonard Bernstein (left) and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’ (right).Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty; NetflixAt a New York Film Festival press conference for the movie in October,Maestro’s makeup designer Kazu Hiro said thatCooper utilized a nose plugwithinthe prosthetic noseto make his voice sound closer to Bernstein’s.“We made a nose plug. He wanted to talk like and sound like Lenny,” Hiro explained of Cooper’s request to “change his voice.” “Lenny’s nose was wider than Bradley’s, so I made it wider at the same time to change his nose shape and voice too.“Maestrois on Netflix Dec. 20.
Bradley Cooperis addressing backlash over wearing a prosthetic nose in portraying legendary composerLeonard BernsteininMaestro.
Cooper, 48, and his costarCarey Mulliganappeared onCBS MorningsTuesday to discuss the new movie with host Gayle King, and Cooper shared during the interview that he initiallyconsidered not using the prostheticfor the movie.
“Nothing really catches me off guard. You never know what’s going to happen,” he said, when asked whether the backlash to the prosthetic nose surprised him. “The truth is, I’ve done this whole project out of love, and it’s so clear to me where I come from — my nose is very similar to Lenny’s, actually. The prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet.”
“I thought, ‘Maybe we don’t need to do it, because we can take time off [preparations for the film],’ " added Cooper, who also co-wrote and directedMaestro. “But it’s all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn’t look right.”
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’.Jason McDonald/Netflix
Jason McDonald/Netflix
Bernstein’s children Jamie, Alexander and Nina shared astatementback in August shortly after themovie’s first trailer releasedin which theyreaffirmed their support for Cooperand his portrayal of their father, who died in 1990 at 72.
“It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose,” Bernstein’s children wrote in the statement. “Bradleychose to use makeupto amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that. We’re also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in ‘Maestro’.Jason McDonald/Netflix
While speaking with King, Cooper recalled crying on the phone while speaking with Alex Bernstein to thank him and his siblings for releasing that statement.
“I couldn’t believe it, but this huge emotional exhalation came out, and I just was crying so hard, I couldn’t even thank him,” Cooper said. “And he started crying. It was an incredible moment. Sometimes you don’t even know what’s going on, you know. I couldn’t believe that gesture. It was very moving to me.”
TheAnti-Defamation Leaguepreviously told PEOPLE it did not view Cooper’s use of prosthetics in the film as antisemitic, saying in a statement: “Throughout history, Jews were often portrayed in antisemitic films and propaganda as evil caricatures with large, hooked noses. This film, which is a biopic on the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, is not that.”
Leonard Bernstein (left) and Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro’ (right).Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty; Netflix
Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty; Netflix
At a New York Film Festival press conference for the movie in October,Maestro’s makeup designer Kazu Hiro said thatCooper utilized a nose plugwithinthe prosthetic noseto make his voice sound closer to Bernstein’s.
“We made a nose plug. He wanted to talk like and sound like Lenny,” Hiro explained of Cooper’s request to “change his voice.” “Lenny’s nose was wider than Bradley’s, so I made it wider at the same time to change his nose shape and voice too.”
Maestrois on Netflix Dec. 20.
source: people.com
