scorecardHere's how the cast of Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro' compares to the real people they're playing
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Here's how the cast of Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro' compares to the real people they're playing

Eammon Jacobs   

Here's how the cast of Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro' compares to the real people they're playing
Bradley Cooper at the "Nightmare Alley" World Premiere at December 01, 2021 in New York, and Leonard Bernstein at 26 in New York, on January 5, 1945.Dia Dipasupil/WireImage/AP Photo
  • Bradley Cooper's "Maestro" arrives on Netflix on December 20, 2023.
  • Cooper plays famed composer Leonard Bernstein in the film.

Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein, the American composer behind “West Side Story” and the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein, the American composer behind “West Side Story” and the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," and a portrait of Bernstein circa 1945.      Netflix/Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

"Guardians of the Galaxy," "Nightmare Alley," and "A Star is Born" actor Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," and the 48-year-old is also in the director's chair for the Netflix movie.

Bernstein is renowned for his work as a composer and a conductor, and he's perhaps best known for creating the music for Jerome Robbins' "West Side Story" alongside lyricist Stephen Sondheim. He was also working on the "Candide" musical at the same time with Lillian Hellman.

Netflix's "Maestro" will focus on Bernstein's relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre, over the course of their lives. Cooper donned a prosthetic nose to portray Bernstein, which drew criticism online, with many accusing the project of being an example of "Jewface."

However, the composer's children released a statement saying they approved of Cooper's prosthetic and praised him for how he was approaching the biopic of their father.

Carey Mulligan stars as Bernstein’s wife, actor and activist Felicia Montealegre.

Carey Mulligan stars as Bernstein’s wife, actor and activist Felicia Montealegre.
Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre in "Maestro," and Montealegre at Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer institute in Massachusetts, 1946.      Netflix/Erika Stone/Getty Images

Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre, is played by British star Carey Mulligan – who previously starred in "Drive," "The Great Gatsby," "She Said," and "Promising Young Woman."

Montealegre was a successful actor who appeared in numerous projects on TV in the late 1940s and 1950s – including "Flowers from a Stranger," "Of Human Bondage," and "The Wings of a Dove."

Later, Montealegre would found an activist group called "Another Mother for Peace," which aimed to provide information for women about the war in Vietnam.

Her relationship with Bernstein will be the focus of "Maestro." Although the composer had affairs with men and women during their marriage, he and Montealegre would stay together until Montealegre's death in 1978.

Comedian Sarah Silverman plays Shirley Bernstein, Leonard’s sister.

Comedian Sarah Silverman plays Shirley Bernstein, Leonard’s sister.
Sarah Silverman attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Shirley and Leonard Bernstein on the Queen Mary in New York, Jan. 2, 1951.      Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images for Vanity Fair/AP Photo/John Lindsay

Comedian Sarah Silverman is set to play Leonard's sister, Shirley Bernstein, in "Maestro." She was a producer who worked on several TV shows like "The Big Surprise," "Down You Go," and "The Young Set."

Shirley is also credited as an associate producer on "The Third Secret," a thriller starring Stephen Boyd, Richard Attenborough, and Jack Hawkins.

Shirley was born in 1928, and died in 1998 aged 73 – eight years after Leonard's death in 1990.

“Stranger Things” star Maya Hawke plays Bernstein’s daughter, Jamie.

“Stranger Things” star Maya Hawke plays Bernstein’s daughter, Jamie.
Maya Hawke attends the Dior Womenswear Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 01, 2022, and Leonard Bernstein with his daughter, Jamie Bernstein, at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera in 1969.      Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Dior/AP Photo

Maya Hawke will play Leonard's daughter, Jamie Bernstein, in "Maestro." Although the star has famous parents (Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke), the 25-year-old is forging a career for herself with projects like "Stranger Things," "Do Revenge," and "Asteroid City."

Jamie Bernstein is an author and filmmaker who has been inspired by growing up surrounded by her father's music. She has since narrated numerous orchestral performances around the world, and has also written concerts aimed at younger audiences about classic composers.

She even wrote a memoir about her father, and has discussed his work on numerous occasions – including in the run-up to Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" movie.

She told ClassicFM that she wishes her father could have seen the film and met the director "because they have a lot in common. They're both incredibly warm-hearted people." Bernstein added: "They love to reach out and communicate and make connections and they're really peas in a pod."

"Ugly Betty" alum Michael Urie plays Jerome Robbins, one of Bernstein's collaborators on "West Side Story."

"Ugly Betty" alum Michael Urie plays Jerome Robbins, one of Bernstein
Michael Urie attends the "Just For Us" Broadway Opening Night on June 26, 2023 in New York City, and actor Jerome Robbins in 1944.      Cindy Ord/Getty Images/AP Photo

"West Side Story" creator and actor Jerome Robbins will be played by Michael Urie. "Ugly Betty" fans will remember him as Marc St. James – the personal assistant to Wilhemina Slater (Vanessa Williams) at Mode magazine. He can currently be seen in Apple TV+'s "Shrinking," opposite Jason Segel and Harrison Ford.

Robbins also produced "Gypsy," "Peter Pan," and "Fiddler on the Roof" over the years, and won the Academy Award for best director for the cinematic adaptation of "West Side Story" in 1961.

He continued to produce theatrical productions until shortly before his death in 1998, with "Les Noches" being his final show.

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