Bradley Cooper Recalls ‘Crazy’ Meeting with Beyonce for A Star Is Born: ‘Jay-Z Was Watching Judge Judy’

Bradley Cooper had an unforgettable experience meeting JAY-Z and Beyoncé.

The actor, 49, met with the power couple to get renaissance singer who will play Ally, an aspiring singer A star is born before the role eventually went to Lady Gaga.

Cooper explained that he pitched Beyoncé for the role to studio executive Greg Silverman, who told him he would do it if he could get a female lead and “do it for less than $25 million.”

“I went to Beyoncé’s house and Jay-Z was watching Judge Judy, I still remember. I’m not kidding. And I did my hair [out]. I remember having a weird cough when I directed it to her,” he said during a recent interview with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the 2024 Grammy Awards.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga reunite in Maestro The premiere, 5 years later A star is born

“It was crazy. She was amazing, and so was he, and we developed it for about a year together. I mean, she’s one of the greatest people of all time. Then it fell apart.”

Cooper said he had Adele in mind for the role at the time, but she only texted him once and was “busy”.

After hearing Gaga, 37, sing at a benefit concert, Cooper — who ended up directing the film and playing country singer Jackson “Jack” Maine — knew he’d found his leading lady.

“It just blew the doors off the whole place, and at that point it was like, ‘That’s it. What was I thinking?’ And then I asked to meet her,” Cooper explained.

“A Star Is Born” movie poster.

Warner Bros./Everett

Bradley Cooper says he ‘cried a lot’ watching Rocket Raccoon’s story in Guardians of the Galaxy

The film earned eight nominations at the 91st Academy Awards and won Best Original Song for “Shallow” — a duet featuring Cooper and Gaga.

In April 2019, Cooper shared The The Ellen DeGeneres Show that he would like to read a film script live.

“What I thought would be cool, maybe one night, would be like a live script reading and singing all the songs while we’re reading the script, like at the Hollywood Bowl or something,” Cooper said.

Bradley Cooper in the movie “A Star Is Born”.

Peter Lindbergh/Warner Bros.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Although the idea did not take off, he and Gaga reunited on Maestro red carpet in December 2023.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education