Fans angry Ana de Armas movie scrapped because of Maestro

❘ Published: 2023-12-20T13:01:02

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro

Netflix

A movie starring Ana de Armas alongside Jake Gyllenhaal was scrapped thanks to Bradley Cooper’s new Netflix entry Maestro – and the news has left some film fans angry.

Bradley Cooper is back in the director’s seat while also taking the lead role in Maestro, a biopic about the famed composer Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan).

Following its theatrical release, the movie dropped on Netflix today, and it’s already getting lots of Oscars buzz. So far, Maestro has earned a respectable 81% from critics and 88% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

In short, it appears Cooper’s latest cinematic feat is paying off. But at what cost?

Fans angry Ana de Armas movie scrapped because of Maestro

According to reports, long before Maestro arrived, another movie about Leonard Bernstein was in the works, set to star Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role and Ana de Armas as Felicia Montealegre.

However, ultimately the Bernstein estate went with Cooper’s iteration, something Gyllenhaal spoke about in a 2021 interview with Deadline. “No one likes to admit this, but we got beat at our own game. That’s basically what happened,” he said.

“There’s really nothing more to say about it than that. There’s always another project. Sticking your neck out, hoping to get to tell the stories you love and that have been in your heart for a very long time is something to be proud of.

Tweet about scrapped Leonard Bernstein movie with Ana de Armas and Jake Gyllenhaal

“And that story, that idea of playing one of the most preeminent Jewish artists in America and his struggle with his identity was in my heart for 20-some-odd years, but sometimes those things don’t work out.

“In this business, if you’re lucky enough to stick it out for a while, we can easily forget that getting to tell the story isn’t the most important thing. I mean, this is our life. Gotta enjoy it. Bottom line, and this may be my Achilles heel or it may be my superpower, but I wish them the best.”

A point of contention with this news is that Bernstein was Jewish and his wife, Felicia Montealegre, was Costa Rican. Cooper himself, who isn’t Jewish, ran into controversy after first-look shots showed him wearing a prosthetic nose for the character.

Now, movie fans are arguing that Gyllenhaal, who is Jewish, and de Armas, who is Cuban, would have been more accurate for the roles.

Taking to X/Twitter, one wrote: “Bradley Cooper decided to wear a prosthetic nose to play Jewish composer Leonard Bernstein. “The main female character is supposed to be Latina, but ended up being played by white actress Carey Mulligan.”

“We were robbed of the Leonard Bernstein biopic with Ana De Armas and Jake Gyllenhaal,” said another, while a third commented in response to a post about Maestro: “Always reminded that this film is about a Jewish artist’s life & struggles in America and how Bradley Cooper (not Jewish) basically stole the rights of this from Jake Gyllenhaal.”

A fourth added, “Friendly reminder that Jake Gyllenhaal, an actual Jewish man, spent years trying to acquire the rights to a Leonard Bernstein biopic only for Bradley Cooper to take it, then wear a prosthetic nose and say it was because ‘otherwise I just wouldn’t believe he’s a human being’.”

“They passed on Jake Gyllenhaal, a talented actor who’s actually Jewish, and cast Bradley Cooper with a caricatural prosthetic nose,” said a fifth.

You can read more about the Maestro controversy here, and check out some of our other Netflix content below: