The Slatest for Aug. 18: Why Everyone Should Move on From Debating Bradley Cooper’s Prosthetic Nose

At first glance, Mark Harris’ great dissection of the “controversy” surrounding Bradley Cooper wearing nose prosthetics to play Leonard Bernstein might seem like just another piece recapping the latest internet controversy. But this piece is really a deeper meditation on what relationship actors’ identities should have to the roles they play, and it helps sort through some of the, well, problematically moralistic attitudes that have been plaguing our lives in recent years.

A relevant excerpt: “It’s hard not to respond to this as many do, by saying, ‘It’s called acting.’ That’s glib and oversimplified, but it reflects the frustration many of us feel that the long-standing definition of performance (and of artistic creation in general) as an act of expressive empathy, of leaping into the life of another, of inhabiting someone you are clearly not, is being discarded by those who think of an acting role as a prize to be won by someone whose life, identity, and inherent qualities most clearly match the person they’re playing.” The whole piece is worth your time.

Donald Trump has never been particularly good at keeping quiet, but he seems particularly keen on saying things that will get him held in contempt of D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s court. Could this actually be part of Trump’s legal strategy?? Dennis Aftergut and Frederick Baron weigh in.

Plus: Why is Kanye West’s former publicist one of the 18 indicted co-conspirators?

Oliver Anthony’s new hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” is getting plenty of attention right now, mostly for its aggressive lyrics portraying a very resentful view of the world. But this kind of rib against “welfare queens” isn’t new, Josh Levin writes. It’s not even the first to do it in musical form.

We’re wrapping up Help! Wanted, our spectacular week in which advice columnists tackled your oldest, most common questions, and even switched roles to get some new perspective. Some of our favorite final columns and shows:

• On the newest episode of the Dear Prudence podcast, Prudie aka Jenée Desmond-Harris is joined by advice columnist and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast Lori Gottlieb to answer letters from readers about postpartum depression, wedding-planning anxiety, and more. Listen to Dear Prudence ad-free on Amazon Music.

• Former Bachelorette Charity Lawson steps in as Prudie. She also happens to be a child and family therapist.

• And we continue to unpack your timeless questions—today in Pay Dirt, our column about money problems.

National Parks are getting too popular. After a crowded bus ride in Zion that left writer Jen A. Miller with too much time sniffing another nature enthusiast’s armpit, she figured out a better way to plan a visit.

Both Russia and India are sending spacecraft to the moon next week—and not to the normal part! Joelle Renstrom explains why these countries are trying to get to the South Pole, what’s different about that location (so cold, so dark), and what it will mean if they succeed.

Or rather, this is how long it took staff writer Ben Mathis-Lilly to hash out the math on what Americans think of Trump’s election-related indictments. Here’s where he landed: About half think Trump’s behavior was criminal, a sixth or so think it was bad but not illegal, a fifth think it was fine, and the remaining [this is where the counting happened] two-fifteenths have, blessedly, not read a news headline in decades, if ever.

Thanks so much for reading, and we’ll see you next week, when, yes, there is a Republican primary debate! (It’s on Wednesday night and Trump has already bailed.) Have a good weekend!