For Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, "A star is born" nearby

When Bradley Cooper saw Lady Gaga present "La Vie en Rose" at a fundraiser at the home of entrepreneur Sean Parker, it was not one of the important moments of the creation of "A Star Is Born". , The moment.

"She demolished the room," he recalls, his eyes still wide. "I knew it was plutonium."

The next day, Cooper went to Gaga's home in Malibu to confirm that what he had seen the night before was real. He arrived hungry. Gaga – whose friends call him by his real name Stefani – gave him spaghetti leftovers and the two performers on the Italian-American East Coast (Cooper is from Philadelphia, Gaga New York) feel an immediate and natural connection. "Instantly," says Gaga. "When I saw his eyes, when I opened the door."

A few minutes later, they were singing on Gaga's piano and "A star is born" was born.

"And when I heard him sing! My God! I stopped playing the piano and I thought, "Bradley, you can sing!" "Said Gaga, sitting next to her co-star and director." And he was like, "Really?" And then he said, "Let's film him." He started filming on his phone. "

Cooper shakes his head. "It was crazy."

It can be difficult to separate the already mythological transformations – directs Cooper! Gaga is acting! – who fed "A star is born" from the fictitious fable of fame, herself. The creation of the film and the finished product are lessons of daring odds and artistic integrity, personal fragility and popular success. "A star is born" is a film that is reflected in its manufacture.

"A star is born" is the fourth version of the story (or the fifth, depending on your account). The first was "What Price Hollywood?" By George Cukor in 1932, followed by the remake of William Wellman in 1937. Later, one with Judy Garland and James Mason in 1954 and the other in 1973 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

A new "A Star Is Born" has been in development for about two decades at Warner Bros. Several incarnations had already been planned around Will Smith and Whitney Houston, or Beyonce and Leonardo DiCaprio under the direction of Clint Eastwood. Cooper, who starred in Eastwood's "American Sniper," first approached the film's role in the film for Eastwood before deciding on the film. For encouragement, Eastwood visited the set on the first day of filming.

"I remember that he said he loved my boots," says Gaga. "I became bright red."

Cooper, however, put his own footprint on "A star is born," detailing the story and – he hopes – to embark on as a writer and director. With careful preparation, Cooper – always the student – embarked on the new role. It could often be found under a table in a scene with a monitor so as to be as close as possible to the actors. "He was tireless," says Sam Elliott, who plays Cooper's brother in the film. "He never quit smoking from start to finish. He probably drove the studio crazy at one point, he would not stop on it.

"At age 39 when I started this trip, I just realized that: time is the main motto. If I do not do what I feel inside, I constantly see gunshots in my head, "Cooper says, moving away. "I've always known that at one point, I had to stop criticizing other movies and only doing one."

Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a very catchy country rock star in the spirit of Gregg Allman. (The Maine band is performed by Lukas Nelson & Neil Young's Promise of the Real.) Life in Pink. "

A singer with natural talent who has essentially abandoned her musical dreams, Ally has always been told that her look (and nose) was not quite correct. Jackson and she quickly fall in love, even as Jackson's alcohol problem worsens, but not before they can together forge something beautiful and honest through the music, catapulting Ally to the rank of star.

"When I look back, I see myself as a much younger girl, rather like when I was 15, writing songs at the piano," says Gaga. "What Jackson is trying to teach him is something I always want to give more and more to my music, now and in the future. It's the nudity of talent. "

"A star is born", of Cooper, was greeted with a rare fervor. His trailer has been viewed more than 10 million times, many of which are back in the spotlight. And if there is one thing that explains its indelicate power, it is this self-empowering message of glory that speaks to those who are true to themselves.

It is also something that resonates for many actors, like Anthony Ramos, who plays Ally's best friend. The 26-year-old actor, who grew up in Bushwick's Brooklyn projects, suffered a big defeat when Lin-Manuel Miranda threw him into "Hamilton".

"Teachers have said," You have to be this or you have to be that to succeed. You must change the way you speak. You have to grow your hair. People tell me all kinds of things to give me the formula for success, "says Ramos. "But what I realize, and what you find at the end of this film, is that you must love yourself and trust yourself, and continue to be your true self."

Even for the 74-year-old veteran actor Elliott, "A Star Is Born" has sparked a reflection on his own path. For decades, Elliott, with his trademark mustache and mustache, has been resolutely himself, in any role.

"Nobody is ever going to confuse me with a chameleon. I'm just not part of that kind of thing, "Elliott said. "Ben Johnson once said:" I may not be a very good actor, but no one else can play the role of Ben Johnson better than me. "And that 's kind of echoed to me – it was about character – it was about integrity – it was about what makes the company so good." man.

Gaga, who has gathered her fans ("little monsters") around a message of self-acceptance, says that she identifies herself in the same way with her character and Jackson, more troubled. The pop star has already been direct with her mental health issues and claimed to have been raped when she was 19 years old.