LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The children of Leonard Bernstein have shared their views amid the backlash Bradley Cooper has been facing for his role as the legendary Jewish composer and conductor.
Cooper has been called out for his “Jewface” in the biopic, as the actor used a prosthetic nose to play the part. Many felt that this was antisemitic because it stereotyped what Jewish facial features look like.
However, Bernstein’s children do not agree with critics. In a statement issued via Twitter, they said, “Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father.”
“We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father’s music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration,” they mentioned.
Who are Leonard Bernstein's children?
The music educator, who died in 1990, was a father of three children — Nina Maria Felicia Bernstein, Jamie Bernstein, and Alexander Bernstein.
Nina Maria
Nina is Leonard’s youngest child. She is 61 and also a musical artist.
Alexander Bernstein
Alexander is Leonard and late actress Felicia Montealegre's second child. The 68-year-old has worked in movies, like 1985’s The Making of 'West Side Story', ‘Daniel’ (1983), and ‘Tinder and Grinder’ (2014).
Jamie Bernstein
Jamie is the eldest among the three and she is 70. Like her parents, she is also into the entertainment industry and is a known filmmaker, author, and narrator. She has also written a memoir, titled ‘Famous Father Girl’.
What is the Bradley Cooper 'Jewface' controversy?
Allegations have been made against Copper for being a “Jewface” — a word that has been in use since the late 1800s to refer to a non-Jewish person’s portrayal role of a Jew, often taken as not genuine or stereotypical. It corresponds to the way "Blackface" is used to refer to a White person using makeup to portray a Black person.
What is Leonard Bernstein's family saying about the ‘Jewface’ controversy?
Bernstein's children have supported Cooper as they noted in the statement, “It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose.”
The trio asserted, “Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that,” before stating, “We’re also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well.”
“Any strident complaints around this issue strike us above all as disingenuous attempts to bring a successful person down a notch — a practice we observed all too often perpetrated on our own father,” the statement added.
What is the name of the Leonard Bernstein movie?
Cooper has played the role of Leonard in ‘Maestro' — a musical drama — based on the life of the late pianist. The 48-year-old actor has also directed and co-written the story, which features Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre.
As per reports, the movie will first release on September 2 at the Venice International Film Festival. Later, it will be shown at a few theaters in November before its eventual release on December 20 on Netflix.
