Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper has been accused of “Jewface” for carrying a prosthetic nostril to play Jewish conductor Leonard Bernstein.
The actor, 48, has grow to be embroiled in an anti-Semitism row after the trailer was launched for the Netflix movie Maestro.
The trailer for the movie, resulting from be launched in November, reveals Mr Cooper carrying a prosthetic on his face to attain an exaggerated nostril, which critics declare performs to the age-old anti-Semitic stereotype.
Dave Wealthy, head of coverage on the Group Safety Belief, which was based in 1994 to guard British Jews from anti-Semitism and associated threats, described the portrayal as “insulting and demeaning”.
He advised The Telegraph: “It is vitally troublesome to think about that no one concerned on this movie was conscious it may be an issue to place a ridiculously outsized and pointy pretend nostril on a Jewish character. It’s the sort of factor that ought to have been consigned to historical past, however sadly remains to be all too widespread at the moment.”
Binyomin Gilbert, spokesperson for Marketing campaign In opposition to Antisemitism, mentioned: “it’s astonishing that no one thought twice about sticking a giant nostril on a non-Jewish actor enjoying a Jew. The filmmakers right here want to indicate that they perceive why this can be a downside.
“A failure to take action would point out that there’s a double normal on the subject of the portrayal of Jews on display.”
The son of Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants, celebrated conductor Mr Bernstein grew to become the youngest ever music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1958.
Urged early in his profession to alter his identify to Burns to enhance his probabilities of success, Mr Bernstein, who’s finest recognized for writing the music for West Aspect Story, replied: “I’ll do it as Bernstein or by no means”.
Liora Rez, govt director of StopAntisemitism, mentioned the composer’s “Jewishness was a central pillar of his id, and he ought to have been portrayed by a Jewish actor. The choice to incorporate a prosthetic nostril – bigger than Bernstein’s precise nostril – evokes 800 years of antisemitic tropes based mostly on exaggerating that attribute.”
Criticism additionally got here from inside the movie trade, with Jewish-British actress Tracy-Ann Oberman, describing Mr Cooper’s facial enhancement as “the equal of Black-Face or Yellow-Face”.
She mentioned the star had performed the Elephant Man with out utilizing prosthetics so “ought to have the ability to handle to play a Jewish man with out one”.
In 2018, Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal introduced he would play Mr Bernstein in biopic The American, produced by his firm 9 Tales Productions.
Days later, Mr Cooper introduced he was producing a rival manufacturing with Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.
In the end, the Bernstein property awarded the unique music rights to Mr Spielberg’s manufacturing firm Amblin Leisure.
Mr Spielberg had already developed a relationship with the property from engaged on his 2021 reboot of West Aspect Story.
West Wing star defends Cooper
Talking to Deadline in 2021, Mr Gyllenhaal mentioned: “Nobody likes to confess this, however we bought beat at our personal sport. That’s principally what occurred.”
He mentioned the “concept of enjoying probably the most preeminent Jewish artists in America and his battle together with his id was in my coronary heart for 20 some odd years, however generally these issues don’t work out … Backside line, and this can be my Achilles’ heel or it might be my superpower, however I want them one of the best.”
In the meantime, some have defended Mr Cooper’s facial transformation as an correct depiction of Mr Bernstein.
Jewish West Wing star Joshua Malina advised Web page Six he did “not take situation with Bradley Cooper being made to appear to be an actual particular person”.
The movie has additionally come underneath fireplace for casting English actress Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre Bernstein, Mrs Bernstein’s spouse, who was a Chilean-American actor born in Costa Rica.
The Telegraph approached representatives for Mr Cooper for remark.