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Bradley Cooper has been defended by the family of Leonard Bernstein after sparking backlash with his transformation into the acclaimed composer.
The 48-year-old is set to star as the conductor in an upcoming biopic, titled Maestro, with a teaser for the film released on Tuesday.
However, many slammed choices made in the footage, including adding a larger nose to the actor – which some slammed as ‘Jewface’.
In a new statement from Bernstein’s children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina, they spoke out to defend Cooper ahead of the movie’s release.
‘Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,’ it read.
‘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.
Bradley Cooper took on the role of Leonard Bernstein in Maestro (Picture: Netflix)
‘It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations of misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use makeup to 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,’ they continued.
‘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.
‘At all times during the making of this film, we could feel the profound respected and yes, the love that Bradley brought to his portrait of Leonard Bernstein and his wife, our mother Felicia.
‘We feel so fortunate to have had this experience with Bradley, and we can’t wait for the world to see his creation.’
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‘It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations of misunderstandings of his efforts.’