Dame Helen Mirren conflicted over Golda and Bradley Cooper’s Maestro ‘Jewface’ backlash
Dame Helen Mirren has said she thinks she ‘can see’ why some people are uncomfortable with non-Jewish actors playing Jewish historical figures and said that there is ‘something offensive’ about ‘assuming a certain physiognomy’ to play a particular race.Dame Helen, 78, plays the former prime minister of Israel, Golda Meir, in upcoming biopic Golda and was asked if she understood the recent backlash Hollywood actor Bradley Cooper faced over wearing a prosthetic nose to portray the American composer Leonard Bernstein in film Maestro.
Transcript
00:00 Can you see why, though, sometimes some people in your industry,
00:04 some audience members, feel uncomfortable about people playing characters?
00:08 There was a huge row, for example, about Bradley Cooper playing Leonard Bernstein.
00:12 Can you see why the criticism over what some people have called "Jew face"?
00:17 Can you see why that gets traction, why some people are riled by it?
00:20 I think I can see,
00:28 but sometimes I can't see because I can't see who in this room is Jewish.
00:35 We are all such an amazing mix.
00:38 And certainly I don't have an issue with Kirk Douglas playing a Viking.
00:47 Kirk Douglas was Jewish.
00:49 I think the whole question of assuming a certain physiognomy
00:54 because you're playing a particular race,
01:00 there is something offensive about that.
01:03 On the other hand, if you're playing Leonard Bernstein
01:07 and this is really what Leonard Bernstein looked like,
01:10 you know, maybe it's a good idea.
01:12 It's, as I say, it's a very delicate balance.
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