Lady Gaga Was Actually The Third Choice For A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper Originally Wanted Two Other Music Icons for the Role

Bradley Cooper was going to sing the chartbuster Shallow with somebody else!

SUMMARY

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s A Star is Born is a blockbuster musical romantic drama.
However, this pairing was not the original plan.
Two other musical titans were originally considered before casting Lady Gaga.

Bradley Cooper is among one of the Hollywood Heavyweights. He is a huge box-office draw and one of the most handsomely paid actors out there. The actor also ventured out to filmmaking and has directed two films. Before envisioning Maestro (2023), Cooper had directed and starred in A Star is Born (2018).

Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro

The movie was loved by audiences not just for its story and musical brilliance, but also for the casting of Lady Gaga as Ally Maine. While it’s hard to imagine anyone else belting out “Shallow” with such raw emotion, the truth is, Gaga wasn’t the first or even the second choice for the role!

Bradley Cooper had earlier eyed Beyoncé and Adele before Lady Gaga was cast for A Star is Born

In a recent session at The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Bradley Cooper shed some light on the casting for A Star is Born. We learned that his leading lady wasn’t always destined to be the powerhouse vocalist we know today. Initially, the iconic Queen Bey herself, Beyoncé, was envisioned for the role. Things didn’t align, and Cooper turned his attention to another musical titan, the soulful Adele.

“She (Beyoncé) was incredible and we went down the road and it didn’t work out. And then I thought about Adele for a while, like it was like you know, his (Cooper’s character in the movie) career is not great, he goes abroad, meets this woman. But no but that never took off at all” – Bradley Cooper talking on the casting of A Star is Born

Ultimately, Lady Gaga was cast for the role and the movie was released at the Venice International Film Festival in August 2018. Made on a modest budget of $36 million, the film transcended expectations, grossing a mind-blowing $436 million worldwide.

Bradley Cooper revealed how Lady Gaga was cast for the role

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born (2018)
At The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Cooper also spilled some juicy secrets about how Gaga was finally chosen for the role.

“I was with my mother at a cancer benefit, and all of a sudden the closing actress Lady Gaga coming out. She sings “La Vie En Rose” in the cancer benefit. It was like crystallized in that moment. And, I thought how did I ever think of anybody else. I was so lucky. I went her to meet the next day” – Bradley Cooper at SBIFF

The pair of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga certainly did its charm. The movie was not only a commercial hit but a critical success as well. The chart-topping anthem Shallow won many accolades including the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Oscars, and Grammy. Eventually, it pushed the directorial career of Cooper, leading him to direct another movie in Maestro (2023).