Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut A Star Is Born may have looked a whole lot different had he been successful in casting none other than blues-rock legend Jack White.
Last month, Bradley Cooper’s remake of William A. Wellman’s 1937 classic A Star Is Born hit the theatres. So far, it’s been a major success, with critics praising Cooper’s directing and Lady Gaga’s performance, while the soundtrack reigns supreme atop the Australian charts.
However, while Cooper’s role as Jackson Maine has been well-received, it seems that he originally had another name in mind for the film’s lead role.
As Variety reports, a source close to the production explained that prior to Lady Gaga’s involvement, Bradley Cooper had met with Jack White to discuss the possibility of him starring in the film.
“I saw this other person that I wanted to do this, who is an actual musician,” Cooper explained of his casting plans. “But [the studio] wouldn’t make the movie with him.”
Of course, this wouldn’t have been the first film that Jack White would have appeared in, with the rocker making his movie debut as an uncredited altar boy in 1987’s The Rosary Murders. Since then, he’s appeared in films such as Cold Mountain and Walk Hard: A Dewey Cox Story.
When it comes to trying to work out why the film’s studio wouldn’t have wanted to work with White, there’s every chance they his eccentric behaviour might have preceded him, or they might have thought his karate-obsessed portrayal of Elvis Presley in Walk Hard was a little too comedic for their tastes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8ZUsFkrNQE
In related news, Bradley Cooper revealed that he had actually used Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder as inspiration for his role as Jackson Maine.
While Vedder reportedly advised Cooper against remaking the film, the director explained that he spent a lot of time with the rocker, modelling his behaviour, and asking him for advice in preparation for the role.
“I went up to Seattle and spent four or five days with him and I asked him 9,000 questions,” he explained. “And he gave me minor, little things that only musicians know about what to do, just aesthetically and the inner workings.”
“He thought it was crazy I was going to do this movie,” Cooper noted. “He was like, ‘What? Bro, don’t do that.’”
Check out the trailer for ‘A Star Is Born’:
