He just got Berned.
TikTok users roasted Bradley Cooper for getting teary-eyed as he expressed how much he misses Leonard Bernstein — despite never having met the late composer.
“CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Mo Rocca asked Cooper whether he missed Bernstein, whom he portrayed in the 2023 film “Maestro,” in a resurfaced December interview, prompting the actor to choke up.
“Oh, yeah. It’s hard to talk about,” Cooper, 49, said as he continued to get emotional.
“I don’t know. We shared something very special. It’s hard to even articulate, but he was with me, certainly, throughout the entire time [filming].”
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The “A Star Is Born” actor said Bernstein’s “energy” has found its way to him.
“I really do feel like I know him,” he added.
Making the situation all the more awkward, Cooper was sitting with the conductor’s three adult children, Jamie, Nina and Alexander, during the interview.
The clip recently went viral on TikTok, with netizens eviscerating the Oscar nominee for blubbering over missing someone he never actually knew.
“That’s actually an insane thing to say,” one critic commented.
“Bradley Cooper is an idiot even [Bernstein’s] kids didn’t get that emotional,” a second person snapped.
“Just so everyone understands, Leonard Bernstein died in 1990,” a third fan noted, to which another chimed in, “Bradley Cooper was 15 years old when this man died, he doesn’t miss or know shit.”
“Austen [sic] Butler and his Elvis voice. Bradley and this weirdo s–t. These actors and their god complexes,” a netizen commented, referring to Austin Butler continuing to speak with his Elvis Presley accent in real life after portraying the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in his 2022 movie.
“This is actually embarrassing Maestro is such an obvious Oscar bait,” another critic said.
“This is his best performance,” a jokester added.
Others, however, jumped to Cooper’s defense and pointed out how actors often feel connected to their roles.
“People don’t understand how you can connect to characters and people through acting. You develop an empathy toward their life and experiences,” one fan commented.
“Well I mean, people do cry when their fav musicians die. being around his family, and playing him may be hard,” another defender agreed.
“He literally studied the man for 3 years. Practiced his role day in and day out. No doubt it’s become a part of him,” a supporter added.
“F–k all y’all in the comments Bradley Cooper is a legend go find another slant. Weirdos,” a TikToker wrote.
This isn’t the first controversy Cooper has faced over his role in the Oscar-nominated drama, which he also directed.
The “Hangover” star was criticized for wearing a large prosthetic nose while portraying Bernstein, who was Jewish.
“If Bradley Cooper is able to play the Elephant Man without any prosthetics, he should be able to play a Jewish man without any need for prosthetics — especially a ‘Jewish’ nose,” she shared, adding that the prosthetic is the “equivalent of Black-Face or Yellow-Face.,” Jewish actress Tracy-Ann Oberman told Pvnew last year.
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Social media users echoed Oberman’s sentiments and blasted Cooper’s insensitive makeup choice as a form of “Jewface.”
However, the Irish-Italian Catholic filmmaker defended his decision to wear the prosthetic, telling Gayle King on CBS in November 2023, “The truth is … I’d done this whole process out of love, and it’s so clear to me where I come from.”
Cooper continued, “My nose is very similar to Lenny’s, actually. I thought, ‘Maybe we don’t need to do it,’ but it’s all about balance, and, you know, my lips are nothing like Lenny’s, and my chin.”
He said he “didn’t look right [without the prosthetic]” and that they had to use more prosthetics anyway as Bernstein aged in the film.
Bernstein’s three kids also expressed their approval of Cooper’s use of the prosthetic in a joint statement.
“We were touched to the core to witness the depth of his commitment, his loving embrace of our father’s music, and the sheer open-hearted joy he brought to his exploration,” the trio said on social media.
“It breaks our hearts to see any misrepresentations of misunderstandings of his efforts. It happens to be true that Leonard Bernstein had a nice, big nose. Bradley chose to use makeup to amplify his resemblance, and we’re perfectly fine with that.”
