Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) is in talks to join legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein’s biopic “Maestro” as one of Bernstein’s (Bradley Cooper) lovers, a clarinetist.
“Maestro” is directed, starring, produced by Cooper, and co-written with Josh Singer (“First Man” “Washington Post”), Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Todd Phillips and more, and produced by Netflix.
Carey Mulligan plays Bernstein’s wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein, and Jeremy Strong (“Succession”) talks to play critic John Gruen.
Related Post: Stills from Leonard Bernstein’s Netflix biopic ‘Maestro’ released.
Bernstein made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 25, becoming the first American to conduct a major American symphony.
His 1954 composition “On The Waterfront” was nominated for an Oscar. In 1957, Bernstein’s 1957 composition for “West Side Story” took off, and “West Side Story” quickly became a hit on Broadway, winning the Oscar for Best Picture and 1961. 9 other awards.
The film will cover 30 years of Bernstein’s life, as well as his marriage and complicated love story with Montealegre.
After Bernstein’s death, Montealegre revealed that he was gay and had had intimate relationships with men.
Bernstein himself never publicly admitted that he was gay, and he left Montealegre in 1976 to be with a man, but returned to Montealegre the following year.
When Montealegre was diagnosed with lung cancer, Bernstein came back to care for her.