This enticing musical romantic drama has been produced four times. Its most recent remake intrigued the public, showcasing the talents of Lady Gaga in a completely fresh light, with her starring as the humble brunette Ally.
It premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival and was a huge commercial success. It drew over $434-million worldwide and skyrocketed the careers of Lady Gaga and co-star Bradley Cooper.
While fans of all ages flocked to the theatres and read reviews, there are certain details about the main characters which might have been missed. Here are just 10 of them:
Digging deep
There is a reason that Bradley Cooper has such a personal investment in the character of Jackson. Like the character, Cooper is familiar with the trials and tribulations of addiction, both to drugs and to alcohol. Cooper hasn’t been afraid to publicly confess how addiction almost derailed his life and cost him both his life and career.
This understanding of the pitfalls of drug addiction and alcoholism helped him to step into the role of Jackson with empathy and full understanding of the character’s unique disposition.
A dog with a name
Remember the beloved dog of Jackson's? Bradley Cooper explained that he loved dogs and genuinely sought to have a relationship with the dog in question, to pull off a convincing performance.
He explained that Jackson and Ally had 'a dog' together, as opposed to having a child together, and that the dog, Charlie, was a big part of the film and had to be acknowledged as part of the team. He even named the dog Charlie after his late father.
Too much enthusiasm towards a dog? Fans will have to decide.
Preparing to go on stage
To prepare to play the character Ally, Lady Gaga said she stopped wearing make-up months before the actual filming of the show. Gaga's character was a very modest character who had a natural look and the singer said she had to physically prepare for the role.
She changed her hair color and also wore no make-up for months to get used to the look and the character. This is a serious commitment and it paid off, as Ally's hair and the overall look was completely different from Lady Gaga's trademark style. This must've meant Gaga had to step completely out of her comfort zone.
A perfect match
The drag queen who played Lady Gaga's character's mentor in the movie was handpicked by Lady Gaga herself. Shangela Laquifa Wadley was chosen by Gaga because she took her role very seriously and Gaga had full confidence she would do a good job.
Shangela knew when she was cast in the role she would have to rise up and seize the opportunity with both hands since Gaga had invested in her, spoken for her and stood up for her. As such, she rose to the challenge to put on an outstanding performance.
Diving right in
It would seem actor Bradley Cooper went all out to put on a convincing performance for the show. He spent six months learning to play the piano and guitar to be able to play his character.
This meant a strict daily schedule of two hours of piano, and two hours of the guitar to master his performance. Goes to show... practice really does make perfect. Incidentally, he was taught to play guitar by Lukas Nelson, son of Willie Nelson.
Sentimental decisions
Ally is flanked by a talented cast of dancers and professionals in many of the scenes. Fans might not realize that these are the talented crew of Lady Gaga herself.
Instead of hiring extras and actors from outside of her circle of influence, Lady Gaga cast her own dancers, and hair and make-up dancers, as well as her own personal choreographer, to star with her in the movie.
This gesture by the artist probably accounted for the onscreen cohesiveness of the cast and crew, and the convincing performances of all involved.
Appearance is everything
To create the right appearance, Lady Gaga traded in her copious make-up and dyed tresses for a natural appearance, wearing only moisturizer and lip balm during the filming of the movie.
Actor Bradley Cooper, however, had to have spray tan over his entire body every single day during filming. He was also given menthol around his eyes to make them appear bloodshot.
Halsey features as herself
Singer Halsey features in the movie – as herself. The spotlight is on her as the award giver in the prestigious Grammy Awards. In this faux awards show, she rises to the challenge as none other than herself.
Halsey said she was humbled by the honour of representing herself as any artist could have been picked and Gaga and Cooper chose her. However simple it might sound, playing oneself could turn out to be the toughest role of all.
Committed to Ally
On more than one occasion Lady Gaga showed herself to be committed to her role as Ally and to the narrative of the award-winning movie. She watched all three versions of A Star Is Born before attempting the role of Ally, and even then, went to painstaking lengths to get the character right.
This included abandoning her signature platinum blonde for a more natural appearance, and doing background research to hone the subtle nuances and quirks of Ally's character. It goes to show, she's not a ditzy blonde who takes shortcuts to stardom.
Where fact meets fiction
This is a unique movie in that characters have adopted some of the peculiar and unique mannerisms of the cast, whose real lives seem to infiltrate the script's narrative.
To give an example, Lady Gaga always prays with her dancers before going on stage. Just before Ally goes on to perform Shallow on stage for the last time, she prays with the dancers, for God to watch over them and to be with Jackson. Also, many of the cast members know each other.