Bradley Cooper’s prosthetic nose in Leonard Bernstein biopic invokes questions of double standards in film
Questions surrounding double standards in the film industry have arisen following the news that actor Bradley Cooper has donned a prosthetic nose in the upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro.
Mr Cooper, who is not Jewish, has received criticism for the portrayal of the Jewish American conductor, with many questioning why the need to wear a fake nose was necessary. Others drew attention to the history of the stereotypical antisemitic trope of Jewish noses.
The caricature of a hooked-nose Jew is commonly used in antisemitic social media memes and was a key feature in antisemitic Nazi propaganda.
Tracy-Ann Oberman took to Instagram to tell her followers: “All actors should be able to play any part with their skill. However, we are living in times where there is huge sensitivity and debate over ethnic and minority representation.
“If Bradley Cooper green lights your film to play the Jewish composer Bernstein and you want him over a Jewish A-lister who can equally play that role – then let Bradley Cooper’s acting be so magnificent and truthful that the character of Bernstein shines through what he already looks like.”
However, others defended the decision by saying that Mr Cooper was merely intending to portray Mr Bernstein as accurately as possible, with the conductor’s children coming to Mr Cooper’s defence, stating that “our dad would have been fine with it.”
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “We live in a world that is more sensitive to the racial portrayal of characters on the screen and which actors play them. Reasonable people can disagree on the extent to which that is a positive development for the acting industry. But it is the reality. Therefore it is astonishing that nobody thought twice about sticking a big nose on a non-Jewish actor playing a Jew. The filmmakers here need to show that they understand why this is a problem. A failure to do so would indicate that there is a double standard when it comes to the portrayal of Jews on screen.”
