Oscars 2019: Bradley Cooper admits “embarrassment” after missing out on ‘Best Director’ nomination

Bradley Cooper has admitted to a sense of embarrassment after he missed out on a nomination for ‘Best Director’ at the 91st Oscars ceremony.

On paper, a nomination for Cooper was somewhat considered a guarantee. Making his debut as director with his remake of A Star Is Born, Cooper managed to create a box office smash, garnered rave reviews and starred alongside Lady Gaga who excelled in her first major role.

However, while the film itself led the way in Oscar nominations with seven in total, the expected inclusion of Cooper in best director was overlooked. When speaking at a recent Oscars event in the build up to the main ceremony, Cooper was asked about his initial feelings of the omission, he said: “I’m never surprised about not getting anything,” somewhat playing it down.

Delving slightly deeper, he added: “But it’s funny you ask this, because I’ve thought about this. I was with my friend at a coffee shop in New York City, and I looked down at my phone, and Nicole [Caruso, Cooper’s publicist] had texted me congratulations on these other things but didn’t tell me the bad news. And I went, ‘Oh, wow.’ And the first thing I felt was embarrassment, actually.”

He continued: “I felt embarrassed that I didn’t do my part. Like, ‘Oh gosh, I didn’t do my job.’ But the truth is, even if I got the nomination, that should not give me any sense of whether I did my job or not. That’s the trick. The trick is to make something you believe in and you work hard.”

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