Vampire Weekend's Surprising Jewish Stories
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A prosthetic big nose in a biographical film is not a big deal.
“A large nose is the mark of a witty, courteous, affable, generous and liberal man,” from Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand. …
You may have heard that Bradley Cooper, a non-Jew, is playing the role of Leonard Bernstein in the soon-to-be-released Netflix original film, “Maestro”. To add insult to injury, Cooper – who is also writing and directing the flick – has undergone a temporary augmentation rhinoplasty for the role.
As a board-certified plastic surgeon, I take ethnic variations in nasal size, shape, contour, and function very seriously, but the prosthetic proboscis is low on my radar of serious issues threatening Judaism today.
Jew-haters do not murder us for having big noses. They do so for being Jewish, wearing Yarmulkes, donning Stars of David, and supporting Israel. Greeks and Italians are rarely attacked because of the size of their nose. But if they happen to support Israel, they become targets for Jew haters.
The use of latex in Hollywood is popular, and noses are its most fashionable clients. When non-Italian actors portray Italians and wear aquiline (or Roman) nose prostheses, the National American Italian Foundation resists the temptation to organize a Hollywood boycott.
American-Ukrainian actor Vera Farmiga wore a prosthetic nose for her role as Livia Soprano, and Jared Leto (of English, Cajun/French, German and Scottish descent) proudly boasted an oversized nose in his portrayal of Paolo Gucci.
Meryl Streep, Lee Marvin, Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, and Robert De Niro are among those who have donned a snout for the sake of realism. And the buzz among the “Hollywood-in-the-knows” crowd is that no one has ever seen what Orson Wells’ real nose looks like.
Let’s face it, Leonard Bernstein had a prominent shnoz. I submit to you that the incredibly skilled artists who carefully created the Bernstein look, did so for realism, not to make a mockery of Bernstein’s roots…and no, it is not analogous to “black-face.”
I do appreciate the fact that Jews on the right and on the left seem to have finally found a common cause to rally around without fear of bringing attention to our Judaism.
But is “Nose-Gate” the best we can do?
Bradley Cooper portraying Leonard Bernstein. (Photo: Maestro)
I do not downplay the horrendous tropes and offensive stereotypes aimed at our people. I am both vigilant and tenacious in my fight against antisemitism. However, to those Jews who stand adamantly opposed to Bradley’s big beak… do you really think that Jews portrayed in film should only be played by Jewish actors? Specifically, Jews with small noses so we do not encourage the stereotype?
That would dramatically limit the roles we could play.
I am confident that the casting of Sarah Silverman to portray Leonard’s sister Shirley was not based on race, religion, or nasal prominence.
Diaspora Jews might consider rallying around issues like BDS on campus, elected officials opposed to our existence, propaganda blaming Jews for all the world’s evil, or Jews being murdered at a car wash.
When these issues are addressed, perhaps I will take “Nose-Gate” more seriously.
This issue isn’t the nose for me. The reason this keeps happening is because they are not casting Jews to play certain types of Jewish roles Ms. Maisel comes to mind. Nerdy, sure! Attractive icon, let’s find someone else. And now he’s dating Gigi Hadid. I’m done with this guy. Please feel free not to represent us anymore. We can and should be in charge of our own image. Media representation matters much more than people would like to believe.
I agree. And when we start crying antisemitism for every little thing,, we’re the boy who cried wolf. Also, this is a non Jewish man who was so inspired by Bernstein’s life and work that he wrote and directed a movie to honor him. And the first thing we do instead of acknowledging this is to plaster all over social media that his attempt at physical accuracy is “antisemitic”? We took his hard work and dedication and compared it to Nazi propaganda?
And on a side note, no, I don’t believe only Jewish actors should portray Jewish characters. Just as I don’t think that only gay actors should portray gay characters or that only British actors should portray British characters. Casting should be based on who does it best.
I agree with you totally. I think the makeup is fantastic. Hats off to the makeup artist. Truly artistic! Leonard Bernstein was Jewish! The movie is about him. Nose and all.
I would be interested to read a discussion about Jimmy Durante’s shnozzle!
Excellent.
Reading the author's background, I applause and congratulate. I smile & nod reading the article 🙂 It's one thing to be an over concerned enthusiast, and another to stick your shnoz into a domain, which is not your field of expertise...
This article is right on the nose (sorry 'bout that). The Jewish people have a lot more to worry about than a perceived "microaggression" such as a prosthetic nose on an actor.
In total agreement. The nose was not altered to mock Jews, but to recreate a believable physical version of Leonard Bernstein. I was astounded to learn in this article that Bradley Cooper underwent a procedure by a plastic surgeon to further achieve a realistic portrayal of his character. That shows tremendous dedication to his art as an actor and director! He is to be commended, not ciriticized. AND WE AS JEWS HAVE MUCH GREATER ISSUES TO WORRY ABOUT THAN ONE NOSE - much ado about nothing in this case. (I do look forward to seeing this film! - Let's evaluate it on content, etc., rather than this nose business)
I agree with the author. I also agree with Susan Levine. Bradley Cooper’s nose didn’t fit his face as well as Leonard Bernstein’s fit his. Bernstein was handsome. Cooper as Bernstein is not because the makeup artists goofed aesthetically on Cooper’s nose.
Leonard Bernstein's career was not about his nose, but it was about his being handsome. Cooper's fake nose doesn't match Bernstein's nose. Bernstein was very handsome. Cooper is handsome, but not so much with the fake non-matching nose that doesn't have the graceful arc of his nostril. Being handsome was a big part of the Conductor's universal appeal. Cooper's fake nose diminishes this very important aspect and makes his portrayal about having a big nose. That's a problem for me.
I agree with you, Helen! You hit the nail on the head!
Seriously? His appeal was because of his command of his area of expertise. He was pleasant looking, but not handsome. Any man who knows his job, who exhibits finesse and creativity is going to have a large flowing. The man was a genius. Please do not dilute that with mere physical attributes.
Finally the obvious sensible thing to say! Thank you.
Indeed, the degree of necessity for Bradley Cooper's prosthetic nose can be debated but it truly shouldn't be the cause of such outrage. It's the outrage that caused me much more shame and discomfort than the nose. If Italians didn't protest the big prosthetic noses but the Jews did, what does it make us look like? We should be careful not to get carried away fighting anti-Semitism in ways that, if anything, defeat the purpose. There are better ways and may G-d guide us.
Thanks! Excellent article and I agree 100%.
Have you never seen the classic caricatures of Jews, featuring large noses, so popular among Nazis and other antisemites? Cooper's ordinary nose was not markedly different from Bernstein's. Next time you see a GOP attack on George Soros, check out the nose.
The artists failed to incorporate an aesthetically and proportionally appealing prosthetic nose on Cooper’s face. It’s not the fact that a prosthetic nose was used, it just doesn’t work.it looks silly- not unlike the glasses and nose disguise gag. I admit, I only saw the view from the side, but that was enough. Absolutely no objection to actors playing and portraying any character .
Thankfully a voice of sanity in the sea of manufactured and misplaced outrage
While I often do read and respect the author of the original article, which this article references, I have to go with the physician on this one. I did not find Bradley Cooper's nose to be offensive.
I actually did not think it was necessary to give Bradley Cooper a prosthetic nose. However, I appreciate what you have written in this essay. I hope this movie gives people insight into Bernstein's MANY musical contributions to the world.