Bradley Cooper Considers Adele for 2018's A Star Is Born
Cooper, who makes his directorial debut in the musical, stars country music star Jackson Maine opposite Lady Gaga as aspiring singer Elle.
Monster Mom isn't his only choice in this movie, however. Speaking at the 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 8, Cooper revealed that he "had Adele in mind" when casting the role of Ellie.
"It's like, he didn't have a great career. He went abroad," he said, outlining how the plot worked with Adele. “He met this woman and didn’t — and then it never happened again.”
Apparently, Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) was finally cast in 2017. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $436 million at the global box office. Cooper and Gaga were both nominated in several major categories at the 2019 Academy Awards, including Best Original Song, which Gaga won for the film's breakout song "Shallow."
Adele has acting flaws
Although Adele's only screen credit is a brief cameo in Ugly Betty Season 3, the singer told Vanity Fair in December 2023 that she might be open to acting.
“I wanted to make a movie, but the people making it weren’t mentally ready to write a script for it,” she said. "It's the only role I want. Because I think I'm going to be successful. I think I'm going to be very, very, very good at it."
Another A-lister was also considered
Cooper also discussed how Beyoncé was almost cast in the 2018 remake, but ultimately dropped out of the project.
"She was incredible," he said on February 8. "We went all the way, but it didn't work out. I remember I was nervous. When I pitched it to her, I had a weird cough."
