Bradley Cooper on 'Maestro' nose: 'We had to do it'

Bradley Cooper landed in hot waters when some pointed out his prosthetic nose in Maestro, where he played the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein is anti-Semitic. Now, he is clarifying the strong objection after the SAG-AFTRA strike ends.

In a chat with CBS Mornings, the Grammy winner shared that the decision to go with the prosthetic had become the character's requirement.

Sharing, he initially decided to opt out of the prosthetic, saying, My nose is very similar to Lenny's, actually. The prosthetic is actually like a silk sheet," adding, "I thought, 'Maybe we don't need to do it because we could take time off prep."

He continued, "But it's all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny's, and my chin. And so we had that, and it just didn't look right [without the prosthetic]…we just had to do it, otherwise I just wouldn't believe he's a human being."

Following the antisemitism backlash, Leonard's children threw their weight behind the 48, defending him by sharing a joint statement.

In Maestro, Bradley's performance received critical acclaim. He also directed and co-wrote the movie.

Maestro will roll out on Netflix on Dec 20, while the limited theatrical release is on Nov 22.