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Bradley Cooper trained how to sing and perform on stage for 2018's A Star is Born.
Bradley Cooper starred alongside Lady Gaga in the award-winning 2018 musical drama film A Star Is Born. The actor, who is known for his works on American Sniper and Silver Linings Playbook, admitted he trained for a year before he performed with the pop star.
Cooper played Jackson Maine, a seasoned musician who meets the struggling artist Ally, portrayed by Gaga. The film received eight nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress win for Gaga. Their track ‘Shallow’ also took home Best Original Song.
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During his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, actor Bradley Cooper talked about his singing role in A Star Is Born. The host was surprised after Cooper admitted he was not the one singing in the film. He clarified:
“First of all, it wasn’t my voice, it was the character’s, the way he sings… That guy Jackson Maine sang with that voice. I remember Billy Joel talking about he always could imitate so many people’s voices, and his singing voice was a bunch of patchwork of all these different voices, that’s kind of what Jackson Maine is.”
Cooper shared he spent a year training to sing and perform on stage, and if he were to make singing a career, it would take him an entire lifetime. He further added:
“If I were going to start singing as a whole, that would be a whole lifetime thing. I mean, it took me a year of training. I think we did it three or four times a week just so I could get up and sing in front of people. It’s so hard because of breathing, and it’s not something deep inside me.”
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Finally, Cooper said that the main star of the film was Lady Gaga, and they had to record everything live to make her vocals stand out. The actor still could not believe he had to perform for the opening scene:
“The nuclear power of the movie is Lady Gaga’s voice. That has to be recorded live, and so we recorded all the vocals live, and I had to learn how to sing. The story of the movie happens when they’re on stage singing. I mean it would have been a joke, first of all, I would have felt like such an idiot. It would have been crazy.”
The actor also admitted he knew he had a good pitch and there was something interesting about his voice, though it would take him years to turn that talent into a full-fledged singing career.
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Lady Gaga expressed her gratitude to Bradley Cooper for trusting her to play her part in the film. Even after they had moved on to different projects, their bond remained strong. She told Entertainment Weekly’s Awardist podcast:
“Bradley Cooper really believed in me for the role of Ally Maine in A Star Is Born and the way that he empowered me to take helm of that character as well as take helm of the soundtrack and work with him so closely on a movie about music and a movie about musicians, it really was the success of our artistic collaboration, and I think it landed me where I am now.”
Gaga also admitted that she confided in the actor for years, and she appreciates all of his advice that she will always carry on her future endeavors.
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Ariane Cruz, Senior Writer. She has been contributing articles for FandomWire since 2021, mostly covering stories about geek pop culture. With a degree in Communication Arts, she has an in-depth knowledge of print and broadcast journalism. Her other works can also be seen on Screen Rant and CBR.
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