Bradley Cooper Talks About His “Crazy” First Meeting with Beyoncé as He Courted Her to Play the Lead in ‘A Star Is Born’
“I went to Beyoncé’s house, and Jay-Z was watching Judge Judy, I still remember. I’m not kidding.”
This is a bit of a deep cut at this point, but some will remember that before Lady Gaga was cast in the 2018 version of A Star Is Born, Beyoncé was heavily courted to play the role of Ally. The film, of course, went on to star Gaga and Bradley Cooper, to great success—but Cooper is taking us back to when he met Beyoncé as he was pitching the film to her, and what a moment it was in his life. (Nobody forgets the day they meet Beyoncé, also known as the No. 1 artist on the country music charts, for the first time.)
Cooper said in a recent interview with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation that he pitched Beyoncé for the role to studio executive Greg Silverman, who told him he would do it if he could secure Bey’s participation and “make it for under $25 million,” Cooper said.
“I went to Beyoncé’s house, and Jay-Z was watching Judge Judy, I still remember,” he said. “I’m not kidding. And I was freaking [out]. I remember I had this weird cough when I was pitching it to her.”
He continued “It was crazy. She was incredible and so was he, and we developed it for, like, a year together. I mean, she’s one of the greatest people of all time. Then that fell through.”
Cooper said he also envisioned Adele for the role of Ally, but she only texted him back once and was “busy,” Cooper said. (Don’t count Adele out for future acting roles, though—she told Vanity Fair in December that she might be open to it: “There is one movie I want to do, but the guy whose movie it would be, he’s not mentally ready to write the script for it,” she said. “That’s the only role I ever want. Because I think I’d nail it. I think I’d do really, really good at it.”)
After the Adele possibility didn’t take off, Cooper heard Gaga sing at a benefit concert and knew he had found his leading lady. (Cooper, by the way, not only directed the film but played country singer Jackson “Jack” Maine opposite Gaga.) “It just blew the doors off of the whole place, and it was in that moment where it was like, ‘That’s it. What was I even thinking?’ And then I asked to meet her [Gaga],” he said.
The film went on to earn eight Oscar nominations and won for Best Original Song for “Shallow,” a duet featuring Gaga and Cooper.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
Per People, A Star Is Born hasn’t left Cooper’s mind: he once said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he would like to do a live reading of the movie’s script. “What I thought would be a cool thing to do, maybe one night, would be, like, a live reading of the script and sign all the songs as we read the script, like at the Hollywood Bowl or something,” Cooper said.
That idea hasn’t come to pass yet, but the former costars did sweetly reunite on the red carpet for Cooper’s latest film, Maestro, in December of last year.
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Prince Harry Reveals How Meghan Markle Is Different From Other Royal Women in Viral TikTok
The Duke of Sussex is always ready to defend his wife.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Do Princess Kate and Prince William Take George, Charlotte, and Louis Trick-or-Treating?
Here's how the royals celebrate Halloween.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Is Kaia Gerber Hiding a Halloween Costume Under Her Chic Black Blazer?
The model attended Billie Eilish's Halloween party in a seriously sleek outfit.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Gigi Hadid Praises "Supportive" Boyfriend Bradley Cooper Ahead of Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
The supermodel returned to the runway with her BF's support.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Tina Knowles Shares Insight Into What It Was Like Raising Beyoncé and Solange
Motherhood has been her favorite job, she said.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Lady Gaga Says She and Michael Polansky Sometimes Consider "Going to a Courthouse and Ordering Chinese Food" for Their Wedding
A real-life fairytale, TBH.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Lady Gaga Says Falling in Love With "Best Friend" Michael Polansky Changed "Everything"
"I just love my fiancé so much."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Irina Shayk Poses for a Nearly Naked Mirror Selfie During Paris Fashion Week
The busy supermodel shared the steamy snap on Instagram.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
The Question on Everyone's Lips: Did Beyoncé Skip the 2024 MTV VMAs?
It's been a few years since she last graced the carpet with her presence.
By Kelsey Stiegman Published
-
Beyoncé Says She Had "Little Boundaries" and "Said Yes to Everything" Early in Her Career
The Destiny's Child era apparently wasn't a high point for Bey's mental health.
By Kayleigh Roberts Published
-
Beyoncé Says She's Made an "Extreme Effort" to Make Sure Her Kids "Have as Much Normalcy and Privacy as Possible"
"I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace."
By Kayleigh Roberts Published