Bradley Cooper Bartered With Lady Gaga For ‘A Star Is Born’

Las Vegas -- Actor, screenwriter, and newfound director Bradley Cooper was on hand at CinemaCon on Tuesday to present the first look at his directional debut, “A Star is Born.”

Before showing audiences at Warner Bros. Pictures’ slate presentation the trailer for the upcoming drama, co-starring Lady Gaga, he opened up about the feature, which has been three years in the making.

“It’s a big swing this movie,” Cooper acknowledged of taking on a musical love story that follows the challenges of fame and alcoholism. “But you can’t control what moves you,” he added.

While Cooper initially just wanted Gaga, whose plays his love interest in the movie, to sing live while filming, he said she convinced him to also do the same. “Deep down I knew we were going to have to do that,” Cooper admitted.

During filming, the twosome performed on real stages in front of crowds of thousands to make their scenes more authentic. “In this movie, the entire time, the camera’s always onstage,” Cooper dished.

Now with several performances under his belt, Cooper said he’s now comfortable singing in front of a crowd. “You either feel comfortable onstage or you don’t, and it paid off,” he said.

While the filmmaker is now a seasoned performer ahead of the fall theatrical release of “A Star is Born,” he credited Gaga in helping him find his way. In return, he assisted her in being more comfortable on film. “It was a good barter,” said Cooper.