When Bradley Cooper made his directorial debut in 2018 with the third remake of the legendary film, A Star Is Born, many people were skeptical. Could this first-time actor-director do something different with this tale as old as time? Luckily, he proved the doubters wrong and five years later, he is returning with yet another musical love story, this time about the real-life composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein.

Maestro is a portrait of this charismatic and passionate American master and his tumultuous relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre. As Bernstein’s ambition and fame grow, he always has Felicia by his side, but there is always a price for this loyalty. In his previous film, Cooper brought together a cast of greats including Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, and Andrew Dice Clay. Miraculously, he has assembled another fantastic cast filled with respected actors like Carey Mulligan and Matt Bomer. For those of you who want to know who Cooper has chosen to populate the world of America’s most respected conductor, you’ve come to the right place.

Carey Mulligan as Felicia Montealegre

Carey Mulligan plays Felicia Montealegre, a Costa Rican-Chilean actress who would become Bernstein’s wife in 1951. Montealgre became famous for her performances on TV dramas and Broadway and also appeared with symphony orchestras in dramatic acting roles in collaboration with her husband. Montealegre and Bernstein had three children and remained married until she died at the age of 56 in 1978 from lung cancer.

Mulligan first gained critical acclaim for her role in An Education as Jenny, an intelligent and idealist British teenager who enters into a misguided relationship with an older man in the 1960s. She received her first Academy Award nomination and would go on to star in renowned indie dramas like Shame, Suffragette, and Far From the Madding Crowd. She received her second Oscar nomination for Emerald Fennell’s controversial feminist thriller, Promising Young Woman, in which she played Cassie, a young woman who becomes obsessed with revenge after her lifelong best friend is assaulted. Apart from Maestro, Mulligan appears in another award contender this year, Saltburn, a class satire that sees her reuniting with writer-director Fennell. Mulligan's next films include the sci-fi drama Spaceman opposite Adam Sandler, and the Laika stop-motion film Wildwood.

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein

Bradley Cooper plays Leonard Bernstein, the famous American conductor, composer, educator, and humanitarian. Considered by most to be one of the most important conductors and by far the best American, he received numerous awards throughout his career, including, seven Emmys, two Tonys, sixteen Grammys, and an Academy Award nomination. Apart from his music career, he was also a supporter of civil rights who protested against the Vietnam War and raised money for the HIV/AIDS crisis. Though he never divorced his wife, he had several affairs throughout his adult life with both men and women, something his wife Felicia later acknowledged.

Though Cooper started his career in the 2000s with broad comedies like Wet Hot American Summer, Wedding Crashers, and The Hangover Trilogy, he first received major awards attention for the David O Russell drama, Silver Linings Playbook, where he starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence. Since then he has received several Oscar nominations for his performances in American Hustle, American Sniper, and most recently, A Star Is Born. Though Maestro only marks his second film as a director, he has also produced several films, including Joker. Cooper has several movies on the horizon, including Steven Spielberg's Frank Bullitt reboot and his next directorial outing Is This Thing On, where he'll co-star alongside Will Arnett.

Matt Bomer as David Oppenheim

Matt Bomer plays David Oppenheim, an American clarinetist and classical music producer. He was a lifelong friend of Leonard Bernstein and many believe that the two had an affair. Like Bernstein, Oppenheim was not open about his sexuality and was married to three women, including Academy Award-winning actress, Judy Holliday.

Bomer first became famous for his roles on TV including the USA police procedural, White Collar, in which he played Neil Caffrey, a skilled forger who uses his criminal knowledge to aid FBI investigations. He has also frequently collaborated with Ryan Murphy on shows like American Horror Story and the Emmy-winning TV movie, The Normal Heart. Most movie fans will recognize Bomer for his role as Ken in the Magic Mike series. Apart from Maestro, Bomer is also currently starring in the Showtime drama, Fellow Travelers, alongside Jonathan Bailey. His next film will be the historical drama The Book of Ruth, where he'll star alongside Ruth Wilson.

Maya Hawke as Jamie Bernstein

Maya Hawke plays Jamie Bernstein, Leonard and Felicia’s oldest daughter. Jamie recently wrote a book about her father, "Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing Up Bernstein," in which she describes her father as a loving but somewhat troubled man whose legend loomed large.

Hawke’s first major role came in the third season of Netflix’s hit show, Stranger Things, where she plays Robin, a girl who becomes friends with Steve while they are working at the local ice cream shop, Scoops Ahoy, and later comes out as a lesbian. Since then, she has starred in several major films including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Do Revenge, and Asteroid City. Hawke recently played Flannery O’Connor in Wildcat, a film directed by her father, Ethan Hawke, which is set to release in 2024. Her other upcoming projects include the fifth and final season of Stranger Things and Inside Out 2 where she'll voice Anxiety.

Sarah Silverman as Shirley Bernstein

Sarah Silverman plays Shirley Bernstein. Shirley was one of Leonard’s younger siblings and the two remained close throughout their lives.

Known to most audiences as a successful comedian, Silverman started her career as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and later created and starred in her own sitcom called The Sarah Silverman Program. She has also appeared in comedies like School of Rock and Wreck-It Ralph, but she is no stranger to drama, having acted in movies like Take This Waltz and I Smile Back. Silverman's next film is the thriller Viral, where she'll star opposite Blair Underwood.

Gideon Glick as Tommy Cothran

Gideon Glick plays Tommy Cothran. Cothran was a clarinet player who allegedly had an affair with Bernstein after the pair met in 1971 when Tom was a music director at a radio station in San Francisco.

Though Glick is most famous for his stage roles in productions like Spring Awakening and To Kill a Mockingbird, he has also appeared in several movies like Ocean’s 8 and Marriage Story and TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and The Other Two.

Maestro also stars Josh Hamilton (Eighth Grade) as John Gruen, Michael Urie (Shrinking) as Jerry Robbins, Sam Nivola (White Noise) as Alexander Bernstein, Alexa Swinton (Old) as Nina Bernstein, and Miriam Shor (American Fiction) as Cynthia O'Neal.