Lady Gaga Wasn't Supposed To Star In The Movie That Launched Her Acting Career
Many pop stars have parlayed successful music careers into acting opportunities, including Lady Gaga. Gaga showcased her flair for drama both onstage and in her videos before being cast in the films "Machete Kills" and "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For." In 2015, she joined the ensemble of "American Horror Story: Hotel," playing The Countess. Gaga returned for Season 6 of Ryan Murphy's anthology series to play the original Supreme Scáthach in "American Horror Story: Roanoke.".
Gaga's breakout role came in 2018, playing Ally Maine in Bradley Cooper's directorial debut, a remake of "A Star Is Born." The story of a woman (Gaga) whose talent and fame eclipses that of the man she loves (Cooper) was a critical and box office success, garnering eight Academy Award nominations, including a best actress nod for Gaga. Gaga's performance turned her into a sought-after leading lady. Gaga also earned rave reviews for her next role, playing scorned wife Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott's "House of Gucci" in 2021.
It's difficult to imagine another actress playing Ally, considering the role required a performer with both strong acting and singing abilities. However, Gaga wasn't originally supposed to star in the film that made her a bonafide Hollywood A-lister.
Beyoncé bowed out of A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga wasn't Warner Bros.' first choice as the female lead for "A Star Is Born." In 2011, Deadline reported that legendary actor-filmmaker Clint Eastwood would direct Beyoncé in a 3rd big-screen remake of the 1937 film "A Star Is Born," which originally starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March.
However, in 2015, Deadline revealed that Warner Bros. was "negotiating" with Cooper to direct and star in the film. In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, producer Bill Gerber explained why the Eastwood-Beyoncé version of "A Star Is Born" never came to fruition. "Time happened. Beyoncé got pregnant, and then Clint went off and did another movie," Gerber said.
In 2016, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Lady Gaga would appear opposite Cooper in the movie, her first starring role in a studio feature. In an interview with Screen Daily, Cooper recalled how he saw Gaga perform "La Vie En Rose" and decided she was perfect for the role of Ally (Cooper included Gaga's rendering of the Édith Piaf song in the film.) "I saw her sing that song and I was completely blown away in a way that I knew that Jackson would need to be blown away. Then I went to see her and she was so present and warm and interested and curious and charismatic. I thought, 'This is it. This is the coupling,'" Cooper said.