レナード・バーンスタイン役の義鼻装着に「ジューフェース」と批判　遺族は擁護

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】２０世紀クラシック音楽界の巨匠で、ユダヤ系米国人指揮者・作曲家の故レナード・バーンスタインの生涯を描いたネットフリックス映画『マエストロ： その音楽と愛と』が、バーンスタイン役が大きな義鼻を装着していることで人種的偏見をめぐる論争の的となっている。だが、バーンスタインの遺族は映画の演出を擁護している。（写真は米俳優ブラッドリー・クーパー）
　米俳優ブラッドリー・クーパーが脚本・監督・主演を務める『マエストロ』の予告編が今週公開されると、クーパーが大きな義鼻を装着してバーンスタインを演じていることが物議を醸した。
　義鼻の装着はユダヤ人のステレオタイプを広めるという指摘や、非黒人が役作りのために顔を黒く塗る「ブラックフェース」になぞらえ「ジュー（ユダヤ人）フェース」だとする批判が上がっている。中には非ユダヤ人俳優がユダヤ人役を演じること自体を疑問視する声も上がった。
　だが、バーンスタインの３人の子どもたちはソーシャルメディアで、「父により似せるためのメーキャップをすること」は「まったく問題ない」とクーパーの演出を擁護。「レナード・バーンスタインの鼻が立派で大きかったのは事実だ」「父も問題視しないと確信している」と述べた。
　ウクライナ系ユダヤ人移民の２世だったバーンスタインは、１９９０年に亡くなった。
　米ハリウッドでは長年、主に白人俳優が実在の非白人を演じることが論争の的になっており、近年ではユダヤ人の役をユダヤ人以外の俳優が演じることがよく取り沙汰されている。
　例えば、今年公開の映画『Ｇｏｌｄａ（原題）』で、英俳優ヘレン・ミレンがイスラエルのゴルダ・メイア元首相を演じ、物議を醸した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/08/17-16:37）

The family of Leonard Bernstein has defended Bradley Cooper's controversial decision to wear a large prosthetic nose while playing the Jewish composer in a new film.
Oscar nominee Cooper -- who wrote, directed and stars in Maestro -- has received criticism since a trailer for the upcoming Netflix film was released online this week.
Critics said the decision to wear a fake nose plays up to Jewish stereotypes, and have dubbed it Jewface, in reference to the historic Blackface practice of non-Black performers darkening their faces for roles.
Others have questioned whether non-Jewish actors, like Cooper, should even play Jewish roles.
But the late Bernstein's three children said they were perfectly fine with with Cooper's decision to use makeup to amplify his resemblance to their father.
It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose, wrote Jamie, Alexander and Nina Bernstein in a statement on social media.
We're also certain that our dad would have been fine with it as well, they added.
Bernstein, the son of Jewish-Ukrainian immigrants, died in 1990 but remains one of the best-known composers and conductors of all time.
He served as music director of the New York Philharmonic, and wrote the Broadway musical West Side Story.
Cooper, a nine-time Oscar nominee, is best known for A Star Is Born and The Hangover films.
Maestro is a biographical romance about Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, who is played by Carey Mulligan.
Questions about whether actors, particularly white performers, should play real-life figures from ethnic minorities have long roiled Hollywood.
In recent years, the casting of non-Jewish actors to play Jewish roles has come to the fore.
For instance, Helen Mirren drew controversy for portraying former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in this year's Golda.
But the Bernstein family praised Cooper for the depth of his commitment to the project.
It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations or misunderstandings of his efforts, they wrote.
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.
Maestro is due to premiere at next month's Venice Film Festival.
Cooper has already said he will not attend the premiere because of the ongoing Hollywood strike, which prevents actors from promoting their movies.