In Hollywood, cultural appropriation isn’t taken lightly, and it’s something they’ve been trying to raise awareness about for years. It happened with Blackface, the act of “painting” oneself black to portray black-skinned characters. It also occurred with Yellowface for portraying Asians, and now a new controversy has emerged: Jewface.
Jewface is nothing more than the exaggeration of features considered Jewish—mainly, a large and prominent nose—to portray characters of this faith. And while it wasn’t a widely known controversy until now, it has gone viral due to Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in the Netflix original film “Maestro.”
A new Hollywood controversy
As reported by the Daily Mail, some internet users have criticized Bradley Cooper’s transformation into Leonard Bernstein. His physical alteration is indeed quite striking, though not everyone appreciates the fact that the character is Jewish while Cooper is not.
“It seems entirely unnecessary to have gone in that direction given the odd resemblance between the two,” explains one user about this. “In fact, the real Leonard Bernstein did not have the quirky nose that Bradley Cooper sports in Maestro,” they add.
Another user has chimed into the discussion, stating that “Bradley Cooper didn’t need a strange prosthetic nose to portray Leonard Bernstein,” as “his own nose is already longer!” Undoubtedly, it appears to be a controversy that could stir up considerable discussion, though it remains to be seen if it will have enough impact to affect the film’s reception.
As described in the movie’s synopsis, “Maestro” will depict “the intricate love story of Leonard and Felicia, a tale spanning over 30 years, from the moment they met in 1946 at a party, and continues through two engagements, a 25-year marriage, and three children.”
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