The filmmaker Bradley Cooper called “one of the best auteur directors”
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Why Bradley Cooper found making ‘A Star Is Born’ “very therapeutic”
A Star Is Born is a story of pain, fame and addiction, which are all topics extremely close to Bradley Cooper’s heart. It wasn’t a role he needed to meticulously study for because he’d lived it, and the experience of making his directorial debut was one Cooper found “very therapeutic”.
One key difference between Cooper and the film’s protagonist, Jackson Maine, is the actor had the benefit of going through his substance abuse problems before entering the public eye. He had some success during this time thanks to his recurring role on ABC’s Alias as Will Tippin, but he was far from a household name.
“I was so lost and I was addicted to cocaine — that was the other thing,” he said on the Smartless podcast. “I severed my Achilles tendon right after I got fired-slash-quit Alias and had zero self-esteem,” Cooper continued. “It wasn’t really until The Hangover. I was 36 when I did The Hangover, so I got to go through all those things before fame even played into my existence on a daily level. So all that happened before any of that,” he added.
Cooper had already spent years walking in Maine’s shoes before he began working on A Star Is Born, and he was the perfect fit for the role. He felt comfortable enough to transport the darkest part of his own life into the character and bring his vulnerabilities into the role, providing his performance with authenticity.
He explained to NPR: “I think because I’m 40, and I’ve gone through a lot in my life, I was able to do it with joy. ‘Cause some people have asked me: It must have been hard to go to those places? But oddly enough, it was very therapeutic. …You know, I’ve had an interesting road, and I’ve dealt with similar things in my life.
“And I’ve observed it in others close to me, and addiction in general. And the main thing, when I was writing it and specifically shooting it, I thought: Gosh, when this movie comes out (if it does come out), I really want anybody who knows deeply about this disease to say, ‘Yeah, this is the reflection of what it’s like.’ Not a glossy version, but the real reality of what it is to be an addict.”
Thankfully, Cooper’s story didn’t end fatally like his character in the Academy Award-nominated motion picture, and he’s managed to stave off his demons. It was a story that he felt compelled to tell because of his life experience, which he drew from to tell a heartbreakingly honest portrayal of an addict. While this could have been triggering for Cooper, surprisingly, it had an adverse effect, and he found it all cathartic.
