Bradley Cooper A Star is Born BAFTA Q&A Special: The actor talks directing, how the film had a very different beginning & overcoming fear

Bradley Cooper

“I always wanted to be a director, I just think I never got the courage to do it.”

“I was at a point in my life where the truth is, the directors that I really wanted to work with, they weren’t asking me to be in their movies. So I thought I’m 40-years-old, am I just gonna wait around or you know what, f**k it, I’m gonna try to do it,” says Bradley Cooper, as he begins to pick apart the perspective-shattering experience he had trying to make the big leap from being not only in front of the camera but also calling the shots on a movie too.

It wasn’t quite the answer I was expecting from the star of multiple blockbuster movies, but it was a lot more interesting and honest than having a pretense of confidence when taking on a directing role for which he has garnered critical acclaim and outstanding reviews globally. Then again, maybe it’s not totally unexpected. Cooper is known for being self-critical of his work and for always striving to do better. Truth is, would he have multiple nominations for the many roles he played to create A STAR IS BORN if he didn’t take the leap of bravery? Absolutely not. After watching the movie for the third time, it would be hard to imagine anyone else starring in it, let alone directing it too.

“It takes so much work to do it and you think ‘how do you have the fuel to do it’? I think it was just a deep sense of inspiration that came from various moments. I always wanted to be a director, I just think I never got the courage to do it. I don’t think, I know!” He’s reconciling the moment he decided to take on the momentous task making the movie, which he had totally embodied four years preceding the film’s release when pitching the concept to Warner Bros. Sat calmly in a black chair under the spotlights of the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square, London, the actor is very matter of fact about the experiences he had making the movie as he answered interviewer, Edith Bowman’s questions at a BAFTA special screening of the movie followed by a Q&A with the audience. 

“Time, getting older, mortality and the love of doing it superseded the fear of failure. I thought, ‘I’m running out of time.'” Elaborating on his desire to act on his directing ambition, Cooper revealed that he had been in the industry for over 20-years as an actor and he knew it was now or never to realise his dreams. There is a refreshing and vulnerable tone to his voice as he discusses his aspiration and at this point, it is clear he is talking with the upmost sincerity. 

Bradley Cooper may be the face (and outstanding voice) of Jackson Maine in the movie, but he had to wear many different hats for A STAR IS BORN: director, producer, actor, composer, songwriter, are to name but a few of the jobs he had. A STAR IS BORN earned seven nominations, five of which were for Cooper in the best film, actor, best director, adapted screenplay and original music categories, which BAFTA said hadn’t happened before in its 72-year history. The 44-year-old had actually broken the record held by George Clooney, who in 2005 received four BAFTA nominations across multiple disciplines, namely best director, best supporting actor and best screenplay, for Good Night, and Good Luck, and best supporting actor for Syriana.

He pauses for a moment, deep in the existential thoughts that dominate the conversation, reawakening one of the moments that music became such an important aspect in the first motion picture he wanted to direct. He revealed that the kick-starting occasion to fulfil his ambition became fruitful after an evening at a Metallica concert, where he was for the first time brought backstage at a concert like Ally was in his movie. The instruments; the outlook onto the scope of the arena; even down to the perspiration on the back of the performer’s neck all triggered something in him that encouraged him to see music in that cinematic form entwined with a beautiful love story. He knew then that he had to make a movie like this.

Annie Lennox was another huge part of his input after watching her sing ‘I Put A Spell On You’ on television at an awards ceremony. “She was singing a live performance and I could see all the veins in her neck and just how pure it was; how she was able to effect me just by singing that song.”  All of these real-life experiences inspired the authenticity of singing live and more than ever, it’s those moments which became the perfect amalgamation for his creative process.  

His co-star, Lady Gaga, delivers an exceptional performance as Ally in the film. It is no secret she can sing and what a voice she has. Feeling anxious about the outcome of the movie during production, the actor’s natural charisma and endearing humour raised laughs with the listening audience at how her vocal talent might have saved the day in the eventuality that it all went wrong: “I knew that I had nuclear power in her voice. If I just don’t mess up too bad, the movie can’t be that horrible because at least you get to hear her sing for two hours.”

To illustrate his earlier point about his commitment to the movie and the multiple disciplines he had encompassed for it, Cooper references how doing it right and doing it well were always the key factors for a successful movie. For him, it was imperative that he got it right if he wanted to make a paramount impact on Hollywood as not only a gifted actor but also as a proficient director. 

Cooper’s academic grounding and arduous training for his profession set him up with an inquisitive rigor that inveigled a wish to know all aspects of production, to be more than just a performer in front of the camera, as if to become somewhat of a shapeshifter of talents off-screen too. Cooper reminisced the time that he was working two days a week on the TV show ALIAS and like a good student, he would always ask questions on set with the director J.J Abrams. Even on days when he wasn’t on set, he would sit in the editing rooms with him.

This thirst for knowledge continued through his professional development: “I had prepared so much, so I knew I wasn’t going to show up on day one if I didn’t absolutely feel like I was Jackson Maine and also I knew exactly what I wanted to do; what kind of story I wanted to tell.” He continues, “I think knowing that gave me the freedom to see what was exactly in front of me with the actor I was working with and the surroundings. Then you can really have fun.”

Talent and preparation is not always enough, even for Cooper who believed more than anybody in what he was bringing to the big screen felt trepidation. “I was terrified. I thought, ‘how am I going to create a human being that you would believe is Jackson Maine’? So, it was just working. I think if I had any talent, it’s asking the right people for help.”

It comes as no surprise to see him deliver an exceptional performance in the movie, A STAR IS BORN because that is what he does; it is what he is capable of and he does it with soulful conviction. “It was always about how best to convey a world and a story that is utterly real and you believe that these people are going through this. It has to be real.”

“I love Jackson,” he says passionately. “I did write a character that I admire. I love his heart.”

Speaking of this vital organ, it is clear how much heart Bradley himself has when talking about the movie. He really did put his own heart and soul into it, which were the very foundations the production heavily relied upon throughout. The process has all been a learning experience, which has left its mark on the actor, leaving him with optimism, inspiration and hopefully an awe-inspiring new bravery to create another masterpiece both in front and behind the camera. 

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