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What is 'Jewface'? Bradley Cooper mired in controversy over prosthetic used in Leonard Bernstein biopic 'Maestro'

'There was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of this to play Leonard Bernstein. His own nose is longer!' a netizen said

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After the recent release of the teaser for Leonard Bernstein's biopic, 'Maestro', actor-director Bradley Cooper's use of a prosthetic nose drew criticism for apparently appealing to "Jewface" stereotypes with the inflated facial feature.

'The Hangover' star plays the character of the renowned musical conductor opposite Carey Mulligan, who portrays his wife, Felicia Montealegre, in the movie, which centers on their relationship, as per Page Six. 

What is 'Jewface'?

"Jewface" is a term used when a non-Jewish individual portrays a Jewish person with overtly stereotypical Jewish features, like using a strong New York accent with a Yiddish twang, as per USA Today. 

Comedian Sarah Silverman has previously addressed this topic on her podcast, pointing out how Jewish actors never manage to land jobs portraying Jewish characters.

According to Silverman, Jewish actors, and especially Jewish actresses, often are not cast in Jewish roles, which experts say feeds stereotypes and is indicative of Hollywood's persistent struggle with inclusion.

A few examples of "Jewface" in Hollywood cited by Silverman include Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 'On the Basis of Sex' along with Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug and Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan in 'Mrs. America'.

What is Netflix's 'Maestro' about?

Netflix's 'Maestro' is set to explore Leonard Bernstein's career as a composer along with aspects of his personal life, such as his marriage and sexual orientation.

The relationship between Felicia Montealegre Bernstein and Leonard Bernstein will serve as the backdrop for the movie, which is supposed to span several decades.

Netflix's synopsis for the movie reads, "Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love."

Is Bradley Cooper a classically trained musician?

Cooper studied guitar and piano for six months to prepare for the lead role of his directorial debut, 'A Star is Born', as per Classic FM. However, many are unaware of the fact that Cooper is a qualified classically trained musician.

Apart from playing the double bass, Cooper studied voice with opera tenor Mark Nicolson and "spent hundreds of hours...[practicing] conducting" before he appeared on screens.

In an interview with CBS's 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' the star talked about having an "obsession with conducting classical music" and his second film, 'Maestro', about the late conductor Leonard Bernstein.

Cooper revealed that he was so enamored with conducting as a child that he "asked Santa Claus for a [conducting] baton" at the age of eight. He also said, "I had this obsession with classical conducting. In grad school for my MFA, I created the character of a conductor, and wrote a monologue for him."

Who stars in 'Maestro'?

Following 'A Star is Born,' 'Maestro' is Cooper's second film as a director. 

Besides Mulligan and Cooper, the film's cast also features Josh Hamilton, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton, and Miriam Shor.

'Leonard Bernstein did not have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper is wearing'

Soon after the teaser of 'Maestro' was released, it was evident that some netizens disapproved of the prosthetic used to change Cooper's nose for the movie. Many even used pictures of Bernstein's nose to prove their point. 

One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, "The real Leonard Bernstein did not have the funny nose that Bradley Cooper is wearing in Maestro. I’m just so tired of this. #JewFace"

"Actual #jewface - this is Bradley Cooper & his prosthetic nose in Maestro about the life and love of Leonard Bernstein," stated another. 

One more user exclaimed, "There was no need for Bradley Cooper to add an odd prosthetic nose on top of this to play Leonard Bernstein. His own nose is longer! And I still would have preferred they at least give Jewish actors a chance to audition before automatically casting someone more famous. #JewFace."