Maestro producer responds to Carey Mulligan casting backlash

Sara Baalla

December 19, 2023 at 1:13 p.m.·2 min read

carey mulligan as felicia montealegre in maestro — Maestro producer responds to casting backlashNetflix

Maestro producer Kristie Macosko Krieger has responded to the backlash over Carey Mulligan's casting in the movie.

Marking Bradley Cooper's second directorial credit following 2018's A Star Is Born, the film chronicles the life of legendary conductor, composer and pianist Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) – focusing on his lifelong relationship with wife Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Mulligan).

Ahead of the movie's cinematic release last month, viewers criticised the decision to have the British star play the famous Chilean-American actress.

bradley cooper as leonard bernstein and carey mulligan as felicia montealegre in maestro — Netflix

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Krieger revealed that Mulligan was personally approved by Bernstein's family. "She got the approval of the family and that for us, we were doing it right," she said.

"It was Bradley [Cooper]'s idea to cast her and we agreed. I think she's a national treasure and whilst she's always been great, this material allowed her to go deeper, to give a beautifully nuanced performance. She knew how to be the rock at the centre of the movie — in some ways she's actually the maestro."

Bernstein's daughters also praised Mulligan's portrayal of their mother, sharing that she "would really admire Carey's performance".

"She's incredible — especially as she didn't have much material to study, just some YouTube clips of her TV work and our home movies. I don't know how she managed to capture our mum's fragility, strength, and vulnerability — all of those layers," said Nina Bernstein.

Nina's sister Jamie Bernstein added: "[Our mum] would recognise the brilliance of what Carey pulls off."

Josh Singer co-wrote the movie with Cooper, who also produced alongside Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner and Amy Durning.

Maestro also stars American Horror Story's Matt Bomer, Stranger Things' Maya Hawke, Succession's Jeremy Strong and Ugly Betty's Michael Urie, as well as Sarah Silverman, Josh Hamilton, Scott Ellis, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton and Miriam Shor.

Maestro will be released on Netflix on December 20.

You Might Also Like

The Canadian Press
Edmonton Oilers trade Ryan McLeod, Ty Tullio to Buffalo for Matt Savoie
EDMONTON — The Edmonton Oilers traded forward Ryan McLeod and farmhand Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday in exchange for prospect Matt Savoie.
PA Media: UK News
PM Sir Keir Starmer assembles Cabinet after vowing to rebuild Britain
Rachel Reeves became the first woman to take charge of the Treasury and David Lammy took the reins of the Foreign Office.
The Canadian Press
Justin Steele pitches a 2-hitter for his first career complete game as Cubs beat Angels 5-1
CHICAGO (AP) — Justin Steele pitched a two-hitter for his first career complete game, Seiya Suzuki homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Angeles 5-1 on Friday.
BBC
Public urged to avoid area after boat fire on Thames
The fire service says three boats are at the scene and five fire engines.
Storyful
Lone Rider Braves Heavy Rain After Wisconsin Rodeo Event Canceled Due to Flood Emergency
Heavy rain caused a dam to break in central Wisconsin on Friday, July 5, triggering evacuation orders in the area.Footage posted to Facebook by Lisa Hackney shows her daughter barrel racing in flooded conditions at Manawa’s Mid-West Rodeo grounds on Friday afternoon.“Wasn’t the run Lacy was hoping for but they both came out of arena on the top side and made it home safe,” Hackney wrote, telling Storyful that she and her daughter left town “just in time.” Credit: Lisa Hackney via Storyful
The Canadian Press
Iran holds runoff presidential vote pitting hard-liner against reformist after record low turnout
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran held a runoff presidential election Friday pitting a hard-line former nuclear negotiator against a reformist lawmaker, though both men earlier struggled to convince a skeptical public to cast ballots in the first round that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic's history.
The Canadian Press
Portugal and France headed to extra time at 0-0 in Euro 2024 quarterfinal
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Portugal and France were headed to extra time at 0-0 in their European Championship quarterfinal on Friday.
HuffPost
Christina Applegate Hilariously Explains Her Pet Peeves With 'Love Island'
While the actor shared her adoration of the show in a social media thread, she also used the terms "yeast infection" and "puss" to make her point.
Investor's Business Daily
Dow Jones Futures: Stock Market Risks Rise As Tesla Soars, Palantir Breaks Out; Biden's Must-Win
The strong stock market faces rising risks. Tesla is soaring while Palantir and Meta lead new buys. President Biden's interview is a “must win."
People
Sharon Stone Gets 'Booped' by Godson Cosmo in New Poolside Photos
The Academy Award-nominated actress spent Independence Day by the pool with her family
USA TODAY
Wisconsin dam fails as water flows over top, residents urged to seek high ground
Flash flood warnings have been issued for parts of central Wisconsin and evacuations are underway as water has overflown the Manawa dam.
Evening Standard
Portugal vs France LIVE! Extra time - Euro 2024 match stream, latest score and goal updates today
Highly anticipated quarter-final meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe in Hamburg
USA TODAY
No, Karine Jean-Pierre didn't avoid reporter's question | Fact check
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to each question from Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy.
The Daily Beast
Anonymous 'Case for Kamala Harris' Memo Goes Viral among Democrats
A Google Document making the case for President Joe Biden to drop out of the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris is causing intrigue as it goes viral in big-money Democratic donor circles.The document, entitled “The case for Kamala,” was first reported by CNN and says bluntly, “We are currently losing. We need to do something different to win.” It adds, “Like it or not, there’s one realistic path out of this mess: Kamala.”The document has no metadata to identify who wrote it but shows
Associated Press Videos
Aerial footage shows southern New Jersey forest fire that has burned hundreds of acres
A fast-moving forest fire has burned several hundred acres in southern New Jersey. The blaze in the Wharton State Forest was reported early Friday.
Reuters
Meme stock speculation propels Koss shares 25% higher on Friday
Shares of headphone maker Koss Corp. soared for the second session in a row on Friday, closing at $13.35 a share, after trading as high as $18.50 early in the day, as social media posts speculated that a post by meme stock influencer Keith Gill indicated his interest in the company. Some followers of Gill, known to his online followers as 'Roaring Kitty', on social media pointed to cryptic images he posted in May of a microphone posted against the backdrop of the U.S. flag. That led to speculation on Reddit, such as Otherwise-Category42's post on the sub-Reddit devoted to GameStop that has been tracking Gill's return, that 'Roaring Kitty' would become a buyer of Koss shares on or around July 4, the U.S. Independence Day holiday.
Reuters
US Senator Warner aims for meeting of Democrats to discuss Biden candidacy, source familiar says
U.S. Senator Mark Warner on Tuesday was contacting some fellow Democratic senators to invite them to a possible meeting on Monday to discuss President Joe Biden's presidential campaign, a source familiar told Reuters. The source did not elaborate or say whether Warner was trying to organize a group of senators to pressure Biden to quit the race. The Washington Post reported on Friday that Warner was trying to put together a group of Democratic senators who would ask Biden to end his presidential campaign.
PA Media: Sport
Emma Raducanu hopes to catch England game despite ‘not ideal’ Wimbledon schedule
The 21-year-old equalled her best result at the All England Club by beating Maria Sakkari in round three.
The Canadian Press
Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024? Arkansas organizers aim to join the list
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Organizers of an effort to scale back Arkansas' abortion ban said they have more than enough signatures to try to put their proposal before voters in November's election.
Bradenton Herald
Beryl dealt Caribbean economies massive blow, says UN. It may take years to recover
A day after a powerful Hurricane Beryl swept Jamaica’s southern coast, bringing floodwaters and ripping off rooftops, hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans remain without power and water, while others are trying to pick up the pieces of their shredded lives.

Latest Stories