In his directorial debut, A Star Is Born, actor-turned-filmmaker Bradley Cooper tapped Lady Gaga to play pop star Ally Maine. For his follow-up, Cooper sets his sights on yet another great American musician: Leonard Bernstein.
Maestro is a biopic of the celebrated composer—whose award-winning work includes the timeless music of West Side Story—specifically told through the lens of his relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre.
The two had three children together and were married for 27 years, until Montealegre’s death in 1978. But, all the while, Bernstein was having affairs with men—something his wife was reportedly aware of.
For the film, Cooper dons some (debatable) prosthetics and goes “gay for pay” to play Bernstein, while the great Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, An Education) stars as Montealegre. The official plot synopsis calls Maestro “a towering and fearless love story chronicling [their] lifelong relationship,” and the first trailer focuses heavily on their connection.
But there is much more to the story, and by all accounts Maestro will also touch on some of the composer’s queer romances, and the impact they had on his marriage.
Blink and you’ll miss it, but the trailer does include a few fleeting scenes where Cooper gets close with Broadway veteran Gideon Glick as Tommy Cothran, a music scholar who lived with Bernstein for a short period of time.
Additionally, Cooper and Matt Bomer made some headlines last summer when they were spotted smooching on the set of the film. It’s unknown who, exactly, Bomer will be playing, but Variety reports he’s a clarinet player and one of Bernstein’s lovers.
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Bradley Cooper and Matt Bomer share kiss while filming new movie
Cooper is directing and starring in the movie about Leonard Bernstein.
Elsewhere in the cast is comedian Sarah Silverman as Bernstein’s younger sister Shirley, Do Revenge star Maya Hawke as his eldest daughter Jamie, and none other than this year’s Queerty Pride50 Catalyst Award honoree, Michael Urie. The Ugly Betty actor will play queer theater legend Jerome Robbins, who created West Side Story with Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents.
With Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese as producers, there’s some big-time movie muscle behind Maestro. And, considering A Star Is Born received eight Oscar nominations (including Best Picture and a Best Actor nod for Cooper), it’s looking like this just might be one of the major awards players of the year.
That buzz aside, we’re eager to see one of the greatest queer artists in American history get the biopic treatment he’s so long deserved—even if Bradley Cooper had to put on a fake nose to do so.
After its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival next month, Maestro will open in select theaters on November 23, and then hit Netflix a month later on December 20.
Check out the film’s romantic (though decidedly not very gay) first trailer below:
Diplomat
Hmm looks interesting tho the trailer could have been more exciting. Bradley Cooper is a strong draw for me. Will wait for Netflix tho.
humble charlie
goes gay?! i thought bradley WAS gay.
it looks like a great movie. i can’t wait to see it. bernstein was a great conductor, composer, pianist, and teacher (i probably left something out).
correctio
lol bradley cooper is 100 percent gay
bachy
I really don’t think actors should direct themselves. With ‘A Star is Born,’ Cooper’s direction was too indulgent to the actors – especially his own performance.
A good director coldly pares actorly pyrotechnics down to the bone, leaving a tonnage of excess emotional fat on the cutting room floor.
Man About Town
I remember Bette Davis being asked what she thought of actors directing themselves and she said “I think it’s impractical. Actors aren’t always the best judge of their own work.”
inbama
This is kind of shocking.
With all the discussion of blackface, yellowface, redface, they went for “Jew-face?”
Bernstein wasn’t Jimmy Durante. He was thought of as a handsome man. A sex symbol. Cooper’s face just can’t carry that nose. You didn’t look at Bernstein and say, “Oh my god, what a schnoz!”
humble charlie
having a jewface myself, i thought the nose fit his face and did not stand out (just ignore what cooper looks like without the nose). he looks similar to bernstein. and you obviously haven’t seen jimmy durante’s nose recently. but you’re right that bernstein when young and also middle-aged was a very handsome man.
bachy
The prosthetic nose is not right. As humble charlie says, Bernstein’s nose fit his face.
Finding a good prosthetic artist is like finding a good plastic surgeon. The delusional patient will think they need cheekbones that protrude 2 full inches, when they really need only like 1/32″ protrusion.
Prosthetics, like good cosmetic surgery, is a very subtle art. It’s a shame about the nose because the overarching art direction of the film looks enchanting.
Derek Northcutt
The funniest thing I’ve heard about Bernstein: when his friends learnt he was going to meet the Pope, they implored him, “don’t forget, Lenny, ‘on the ring, not on the lips!'”
Bosch
A prosthetic nose wasn’t controversial when Nicole Kidman did it for The Hours, why is it controversial now? Isn’t it a bit tasteless to suggest that big noses are a Jewish thing? My face is hung, I’m not Jewish.
Kangol2
Since there’s a long history of exaggerating Jewish people’s noses in anti-Semitic caricatures, if Cooper is wearing a prosthetic nose to amplify its size, it would be controversial.
He probably could have pulled off the part without a fake nose or even contouring. But I’ll wait to see it before judging it.
There should be little controversy in having non-Jewish actors play Jewish characters since this happens all the time, or, at least there wasn’t until recently.
Jim
Just started rewatching White Collar
Love Matt
Man About Town
I can already picture Michael Urie channeling Marc St. James as Jerome Robbins!
Louis
According to Leonard’s three children, the nose was done with makeup and they’re completely fine with it because they say their dad had a nose.
I really think people need to stop being offended on behalf of others. If the man’s adult children have no issue with it, why should anyone else?
Bromancer7
Because sad miserable people who are constantly outraged over every little damned thing need to do everything they can to try and make everyone else as sad and miserable as they are.
Kangol2
Bernstein was quite handsome when he was young, and a good actor (not sure about Cooper but I’m reserving opinion) could embody him without any nose contouring or a fake nose. Far more important is conveying his charisma, his superlative musicianship, his skill at turning others onto classical music, and his passionate love of the music of Gustav Mahler, in particular. It’s a tall order for anyone, so I hope Cooper’s up to the task.
SantaFeJack
These are some of the most thoughtful comments I’ve ever seen on Queerty. They make me curious about and wanting to see the movie. Admittedly, I hope Bradley does some topless scenes…or even some full frontal snaps.
DBMC
I am looking forward to seeing this, but, the prosthetic is completely unnecessary. I felt the same about the prosthetics in Bombshell and The Hours as well. I don’t think the actors need to change their faces to play some of these roles.
Ronbo
When individuals become so unreasonable that they object to actors playing people whom they are not, we have a societal problem.
All actors wear makeup, have their hair styled, wear clothes that are not theirs and pretend to be people whom they are not.
Individuals in a group of similar people who object to actors playing them, seem childish and self-centered. Such people encourage outrage thinking that they own all of the group’s identity.
What’s next Queerty? Are the extremists going to sue Lindsey Graham for stealing “gay face”?!? Is our community going to be outraged that there are “straight acting” gays? Unclench your identity politics; “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”