Bradley Cooper Transforms Into Silver Fox for Netflix's 'Maestro'

The Oscar-winning actor dons amazing film makeup to represent legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in a new photoshoot for the upcoming Netflix movie "Maestro."

This is the second film in which prominent creatives portray Bernstein's life, from kid prodigy through iconic works such as "West Side Story."

Cooper's makeover in the Netflix photographs astounded Twitter users.

Stephen Lambrechts of Tech Radar expects "Maestro" to be a shoo-in for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Academy Award, as evidenced by the photos above, with Cooper sporting some of the most convincing old age prosthetic makeup he's ever seen.

Who's the Makeup Artist?

Kazu Hiro, an Oscar-winning makeup artist, created the look, as per the news story of Insider.

Hiro got an Academy Award for his roles in "Darkest Hour," a 2017 film starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill, and "Bombshell," a 2019 film starring Charlize Theron as journalist Megyn Kelly.

Netflix Film 'Maestro'

Martin Scorcese, Steven Spielberg, and others are producing this film portraying the life of Bernstein. This New York Philharmonic conductor wrote the score for "West Side Story" and other Broadway musicals.

According to Tech Radar, "Maestro" is said to cover 30 years in the life of the famed American conductor, composer, pianist, and author with Cooper portraying Bernstein at different phases of his life alongside Carrie Mulligan as his wife, Felicia Montealegre.

The film was conceptualized with Spielberg being the director of the project. However, Cooper said in a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that initially, Spielberg simply wanted Cooper to play Bernstein. Still, after seeing "A Star Is Born," he decided that Copper should also direct the new Netflix film.

Deadline reported that Cooper accepted this role after making his directorial debut on Warner Bros.' "A Star Is Born," in which he stars with Lady Gaga.

Aside from being the star and director of the film, he will also write the script with Josh Singer.

Along with Scorsese, Spielberg, who famously stated that Netflix films should not win Oscars, will stay as producer.

Paramount Pictures and Amblin will co-finance the film.

Who's Leonard Bernstein?

Tech Radar reported that the conductor was propelled into stardom at the age of 25 when he substituted for a sick Bruno Walter to conduct the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall on less than 24 hours' notice.

Due to his and his wife's political outspokenness and civil rights involvement, including backing for the Black Panther Party, he was later suspected of being a communist and placed on the FBI's security index.

This resulted in his being blacklisted in Hollywood, only to have his name cleared just before composing the score for "On The Waterfront," directed by Elia Kazan, who was famed for "named names" of suspected communists in the film business and later became a Hollywood pariah.