Lady Gaga says she stayed in her A Star Is Born character for years after filming. Gaga made her screen debut back in 2001 with a brief appearance during an episode of The Sopranos before acquiring fame as a pop star for her first album in 2008. After that, Gaga took on minor roles in movies like Men in Black 3, Machete Kills, and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, but it wasn't until season 5 of American Horror Story that she solidified herself as a serious actress.
Her first leading role in a feature film came as an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, Ally Maine, alongside Bradley Cooper in the 2018 remake of A Star is Born. Gaga's heartfelt performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, which she didn't win, though she took home a consolation prize in the form of Best Original Song for "Shallow." After a long layoff from acting, Gaga is once again garnering Oscar buzz for her transformative turn as Patrizia Reggiani alongside Adam Driver in Ridley Scott's House of Gucci.
During a comprehensive interview with Jake Gyllenhaal for Variety's Actors on Actors series, Lady Gaga talked about her background in acting and how it relates to making music, while also shedding some light on her extremely intense method acting. During the discussion with Gyllenhaal, Gaga admitted that she actually stayed in her A Star is Born character for years after she was finished filming. Read what she had to say below:
I would actually say playing a character for me is like living one long song. One long song that lasts for months. For A Star Is Born, it was years for me. And for Patrizia, I dropped her faster because she was a killer and there were some things about the transformation for me psychologically that were super challenging.
Gaga's method acting for House of Gucci made numerous headlines in the lead-up to the film's release, including how she spoke with Patrizia Reggiani's Italian accent for 9 months straight without breaking, even when there weren't cameras around. This was obviously an incredibly draining experience for Gaga, and she has been candid about the negative effects it had on her psyche. It was previously unknown that Gaga stayed in character even longer for her first leading role in A Star is Born.
It was probably a little easier for Gaga to stay in character as Ally Maine though, considering everything they have in common, as opposed to a convicted killer like Patrizia Reggiani. While method acting has become a controversial subject in recent years, in the end, it's up to each individual performer to decide what works best for them, as long as it's not detrimental to the overall production. Clearly, Gaga's method is working for her considering her celebrated performances in A Star is Born and House of Gucci. Surely whatever comes next will be equally anticipated.
Source: Variety