Bradley Cooper’s ‘Maestro’ Receives 7-Minute Standing Ovation At Venice Film Festival Premiere
03.09.2023 - 20:17
/ etcanada.com
Bradley Cooper appears to have another winner on his hands.
The actor-director’s latest film, “Maestro”, made its debut at the Venice International Film Festival this weekend, and received a rousing reception at its festival premiere.
As Variety reports, the Cooper-directed biopic — in which Cooper also portrays famed composer Leonard Bernstein — was met with a standing ovation that went on for a full seven minutes.
READ MORE: ‘Maestro’ Trailer: Bradley Cooper Stars As Leonard Bernstein Alongside Carey Mulligan’s Felicia Montealegre
While neither Cooper nor co-star Carey Mulligan (who plays Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre) were in attendance due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Bernstein’s three children — Jamie Bernstein, Alexander Bernstein and Nina Maria Felicia Bernstein — tearfully welcomed the applause, waving to the crowd.
As the end credits rolled, accompanied by one of their father’s rousing compositions, they could be seen cheering and dancing while motioning their arms as if conducting a symphony.
In addition to Cooper and Mulligan, the cast of “Maestro” includes Matt Bomer as Bernstein’s lover, Maya Hawke as Bernstein’s daughter, Jamie, and Sarah Silverman as Bernstein’s sister, Shirley.
During a press conference ahead of the premiere, “Maestro” makeup designer Kazu Hiro responded to the backlash over the prosthetic nose he created for Bradley (who isn’t Jewish) to play the Jewish Bernstein, which some blasted as antisemitic.
READ MORE: Bradley Cooper Defended By Jewish Organizations Amid ‘Maestro’ ‘Jewface’ Backlash
“I wasn’t expecting that to happen,” Hiro said, as reported by Variety.
“I feel sorry that I hurt some people’s feelings,” he added. “My goal was and Bradley’s goal was to portray Lenny as