Bradley Cooper will be enjoying Thanksgiving with a difference this year, spending it with the family of Leonard Bernstein.
The 48-year-old starred in – and directed – Maestro and spent years working on the new film exploring the late conductor’s life.
He led an A-List cast including Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer and Maya Hawke, and has been tipped for Oscars success.
Although his transformation for the role sparked huge controversy over the use of prosthetics, the dad-of-one was defended from the backlash by the composer’s loved ones – proving how close they had become behind the scenes.
During an appearance on the Stephen Colbert show, Cooper briefly touched on his plans to celebrate Thanksgiving, explaining that he is reuniting with them for the holidays.
‘We are going to go to Jersey and then we’re going to go to Fairfield, Connecticut to spend it with the Bernsteins,’ he told the host.
It will be a touching Thanksgiving as he added that they actually filmed ‘in that house’ they will be spending the day in.
Maestro was released in cinemas on Wednesday, and will be dropping on Netflix on December 20.
Earlier this year, first look images from the set were released, and quickly sparked fury over the decision for Cooper to sport a prosthetic nose in his portrayal of Bernstein.
Many claimed that the makeup equated to ‘Jewface’ and weighed in with their concerns on social media.
However, Bernstein’s family, including his children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina, quickly stepped in and offered a statement in support of the transformation.
‘Bradley Cooper included the three of us along every step of his amazing journey as he made his film about our father,’ it read. ‘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.
‘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.’
Speaking in an interview with Gayle King, Cooper revealed how touched he was by the support, but confessed he wasn’t shocked by the fury.
‘Nothing really catches me off guard. You never know what’s going to happen,’ he said. ‘The truth is, I’ve done this whole project out of love and it’s so clear to me where I come from.
‘My nose is very similar to Lenny’s, actually. So, the prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet.
‘I thought, Maybe we don’t need to do it,” because we can take down time of prep. But it’s all about balance. My lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin, so we had that, and it just didn’t look right.’
Maestro is out in cinemas now.
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