Kristie Macosko Krieger, the producer of Maestro, has responded to the recent backlash over the decision to cast Carey Mulligan.
The romantic biopic, directed and starring Bradley Cooper, premiered on Netflix on November 24th and has since received rave reviews. However, some viewers raised questions concerning Mulligan’s casting.
In the movie, Cooper portrays conductor Leonard Bernstein, who is married to Mulligan’s character, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.
As a historical drama, some people have spoken out against the decision to cast Mulligan, who is British, to portray a Chilean-American woman.
In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, Krieger explained that Mulligan was approved by the Bernstein 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 added.
Continuing, Krieger applauded Mulligan’s suitability for the role as an accomplished actor. “She knew how to be the rock at the centre of the movie – in some ways, she’s actually the maestro,” she said.
Bernstein’s daughters also praised Mulligan’s performance in the movie. “[Our mum] would recognise the brilliance of what Carey pulls off,” Jamie Bernstein said.
Nina Bernstein added: “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.”
Watch the trailer for Maestro below.
