I still don’t know if I’m 100% behind Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star Is Born. On one side, I think it looks good and the trailer makes it look like a really beautiful version of the story. On the other side, I’m not sure how I feel about B-Coop AND Lady Gaga redoing this. I don’t know. It’s not that I have any particular loyalty to any of the other versions, this is just a general suspicion about Gaga and Cooper, and Gaga as an actress and Cooper as a director-star. Anyway, I’m also not sure how I feel about this opening story (in a LA Times profile of Gaga) of how Gaga and Cooper met for the first time regarding the movie and he had makeup wipes on him?
She walked downstairs and there he was, staring at her. He stepped toward her, examined her face: concealer, mascara, rouge.
“Take it off,” Bradley Cooper told Lady Gaga.
She noticed something in his hand. It was a makeup wipe. With it, he erased the colors from her forehead down to her chin. This is the woman Cooper wanted in his film, “A Star Is Born.” Not the pop star masked with face paint and headdresses and hairpieces. Just Stefani Germanotta. “Completely open,” he said. “No artifice.”
Until that moment in 2016, during a screen test in her home, Gaga didn’t realize how much she wanted the part — one played by Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand before her. And to get it, she was going to have to “completely let go and trust” Cooper. She couldn’t be that girl from the Lower East Side who spent hours doing her makeup before her gigs. She had to let the camera zoom in on her face wearing chapstick and eight-hour cream and nothing else.
“It put me right in the place I needed to be, because when my character talks about how ugly she feels — that was real,” Gaga recalls. “I’m so insecure. I like to preach, but I don’t always practice what I preach.”
How does this make YOU feel? At first I chuckled at the thought that Bradley Cooper carries makeup wipes with him wherever he goes. Then I was like, “No, maybe he doesn’t do that, he just brought them specifically because he knew Gaga would be wearing a ton of makeup.” Then I started thinking about how women wear makeup for a variety of reasons, like our own insecurities, or to look pretty for the world or for the male gaze. And then I thought about how mad I would be if I had done my makeup for a business meeting and my potential boss stood there and wiped it all off with the makeup wipes he mysteriously carried, and how it would feel so creepy and wrong. I don’t know. The story is a puzzler. And add this story into the mix:
The two would go on to form a close bond during production, developing a shorthand while working on set. If Cooper wanted Gaga to evoke a feeling of warmth, he’d whisper “Tony,” knowing that she has a close relationship with singer Tony Bennett and that whenever she thinks of him she gets “a certain feeling of love.” If he needed her to focus, he’d say things like “ninja” or “assassin.”
“Her learning curve was insane, just from the first day to the second day,” Cooper remembers. “Everybody already knows that she’s got a God-given talent as a singer, and she was able to utilize that plutonium to act. If this is something she wants to pursue, I will just have been lucky to have been part of her story as an actress.”
True story: CB calls me “ninja” sometimes because I can write pretty fast. Obviously, Bradley has a vested interest in selling Gaga The Actress to everyone. If you don’t believe her on screen, the movie will fall flat. He obviously took to coaching her throughout the film and they seem well-bonded. They seem to really respect and like each other, which is nice. But still, I think I would lose my sh-t on a guy if he started wiping off my makeup.
Photos courtesy of WENN, ‘A Star is Born.’
Yeah, it seems creepy, intrusive, patronizing. Why couldn’t he hand her the wipe and ask her to use it herself?
+1
Exactly. It’s creepy and unprofessional of him to do this, and smacks of some kind of method actor-y self-indulgence, like he’s playing her Pygmalion in real life.
Fine if he wants to see her bare faced, as that is how he sees the character, but just nicely ask her to please remove her makeup, and give her the privacy to do so, Creep!
Absolutely!
Or he could have contacted her agent and said prior to the meeting, “I’d like it if she could be makeup free as the role will be mostly in minimal makeup.” Is it so hard to treat women in film with a bit of dignity?!
I don’t believe this at all. Not only is it an invasion of her body, it is technically assault (touching another w/out permission).
Like Kaiser, I’d be completely pissed off if I’d done my makeup for a professional meeting (or ANYTHING, honestly!), and someone without my permission, goes for my face!! I don’t care WHO you are, you don’t do that.
I know there are actor/actresses who would do “anything” for a job, esp. one like this. But this is almost Weinstein creepy: a man touching you w/out your permission.
Um I don’t believe it could have have happened just that way or anything close to it really. An actress is told what she’s audition ing for and why wouldn’t she be happy to sneak out in a veil with no make-up?? It’s just TOO good a story.
Exactly this. He creeped me out do that. And who is he as a director? And singer?
CREEPY. Dont ask anyone to unmask/unshield themselves to you. Who do you think you are??
Completely over the top and would make me very uncomfortable. Ick factor of 9/10 for me,
I had a man text “can’t wait to see you beneath the makeup and facade”. I stopped seeing him.
I can’t imagine she’d stand still long enough for him to wipe it all off. I call BS.
To me, it sounds like he was trying to give a strong message about how he wanted the project done, and if she couldn’t go there, it wouldn’t work. It was done in a very heavy handed theater director kind of way, like something you’d see on Barry. But at the same time, I do wonder if it did the right thing in impacting Gaga’s understanding of the project. She’s talked a lot about using visuals to hide behind, and maybe this helped her understand she was going to be expected to be exposed without all of that artifice. She likes a show, and this was definitely a performance on his part.
I do think it was incredibly cheesy, but part of being a director is putting your actors in the right state of mind to give the best performance.
Thank you for writing this…so I didn’t have to!!!!!
Bradley Cooper seems like he would be a cheesy, heavy handed director. He gives off a very melodramatic vibe and he studied at the Actor’s Studio too.
Yes.
I get why he’d WANT to do that, because her Gaga schtick is extremely wacky and he didn’t hire her to present that persona–he expected her to transform into a vulnerable, relatable character. He does seem like a douche, but he likely thought he would have to be commanding with her since she’s used to art directing her own look.
I hope this story is exaggerated for clickbait and he just handed her the wipes as a declarative, “take it or leave it” moment of expectation-setting. Normally I’d never accept an employer insisting that I look a certain way, but that’s part of why I’m not an actor or model (hired for their ability to look a certain way.)
He sounds like some high school drama teacher that takes himself WAYYY too seriously. Yet another man in a long line of men abusing women under the guise of “artistic license”. YAWN.
Or simply ask that she didn’t wear make up?
Does he like or respect women?
Also GAGA looks utterly different to me now. So much so that I can barely concentrate
Yeah. Why not tell her ahead of time that he wanted to see her sans makeup, before giving her the part… not creepy and intrusive enough?
Chaine: Agreed! I don’t wear makeup often, b/c it’s time consuming to me, but when I do, I take all the time I need to apply it precisely and meticulously and well. If I’d gone through all that work to have my boss or a coworker just arrogantly, domineeringly wipe it all off me, I’d be justifiably furious!! That’s invasion of another person’s space, will, and body, and I don’t think it’s a cute story at ALL—to have happened in the first place or to be retold. It gives me a sense of who Bradley Cooper is, what he thinks about himself and probably of women, and makes him indisputably unlikable to me.
Okay, that story is nuts. And it’s also framed like it’s a good thing? Weird all around.
Agreed. From the makeup wiping to the “Tony” whispering. I get that they want to promote the movie but this came off as just embarrassing.
I am going to have a hard time not whispering “Tony” to myself and cackling at work today.
I am cackling at the “Tony” whispering too. It’s so ridiculous I can’t believe they’ve allowed it to be committed to print. HOWLING with laughter here.
I laughed out loud at that because I cannot help but imagine Bradley Cooper saying take it off in a husky whisper and then whispering Tony and Ninja to Lady Gaga. Lol whut, this press tour will be interesting.
SO. WEIRD. It’s 2018…you can’t walk up to a woman and tell her to smile more and you certainly can’t walk up to a woman and WIPE HER MAKEUP OFF. I don’t care who TF you think you are. Next.
They are so over the top with this “trust” “letting go” bs. I can’t deal with it.
Right? Could their heads be any farther up their arses? The promo for this film is gonna be an insufferable fart sniffing mess. They’ve barely started and I’m already exhausted.
It’s going to be so pretentious! I actually quite like Lady Gaga but I couldn’t stand how arrogant she was about her AHHHHCCTTTIIINNGGG in that horribly forgettable Hotel season of AHS. And B Coop putting on his serious director cap will be fun to watch.
You got that right!
Cringe de lux!! You’d think he’d heard about the metoo movement but guess he didnt get the memo as to how this would come off!!
Same Girl Same! So pretentious and beyond ott… reads almost like satire.
It could be a Portlandia skit tbh.
I’m about to have to work this press tour later this month and I’m already steeling myself. Luckily I’m not in LA, so she’s not coming, but he is. I have a feeling that will be MORE than enough. We often have Q&As that last about 15-20 mins – I hear he just wants to talk for 45- 1 hr. Sooooo thoughts and prayers I don’t roll my eyes so much I get fired plz.
Lmao!!! Good luck! Just keep your game face firmly in place! Have fun 🤓
Erin! Your job sounds v cool & interesting! Sooo much better than many jobs. Please let us know how it went. I’m already dying to know!
I hope someone asks about this during a q&a. “Did you really wipe her makeup off? Dont you consider that intrusive?” LMAO
Totally! I act interested in my job all day and it’s make believe! No Oscar bait, trust, process, craft. Pure BS to get my cheque and keep my life moving! And no one has to wipe off my face. SO PATRONISING … and scripted.
If that story is true ( it sounds a bit “dramatic to sell the movie) then I think it’s incredibly creepy and controlling. She is an adult, just request that she not wear make up. Don’t wipe her face like a child.
Lucy,
And imagine if the man who wiped off your make up looked like a creepy emu, lol!! It makes it worse!!
creepy Emu 😀
ITA. If it’s true, it’s super creepy. Has BC not learnt the basics from “metoo” – don’t touch another person’s body (particularly of the opposite sex) without their permission! But, I think the story is exaggerated. He probably just asked her to take the makeup off herself.
It’s nearly sold me on NOT watching another Hollywood control dynamic. I thought better of Gaga. Yawn.
I think this story is exaggerated too!They are trying to sell some *beautiful trust *that happened between these two.He should have told her to not wear makeup,anyone who has seen the promo for this sees she does look gorgeous IMO minus all the face paint,but I really hope he didn’t just lean in and start wiping her makeup away,and I don’t really think he did .Her face her business
If she showed up to a screen test for this role with full on Gaga makeup then she really never prepped for this role. It’s why I think this story is garbage.
Exactly!
That’s a power move.
He just checked to see if she was okay being controlled, and she was, because she wanted the job. That’s how power and control work.
Also, if the above didn’t give you a clue to my response , hell fucking no you ain’t coming at me with makeup wipes so we can be ‘authentic’. what sort of coke snorting egomaniacal woo woo nonsense is this.
I’ll wipe my makeup off when you take out your plugs, Bradley.
“That’s a power move.
He just checked to see if she was okay being controlled, and she was, because she wanted the job. That’s how power and control work. ”
Absolutely.
100% agree!
If it really happened it’s a definite power move,but I don’t think this really occurred-Is he known for being a douche and I missed it?
Couldn’t agree more. Total mindf*ck. Total power trip. I don’t care if this was for a screen test, audition, * m E t H o D *, or whatever other BS excuse untalented men use to humiliate women.
A normal person would go out of their way to make sure she had complete autonomy, intentionality, and control over her body AT ALL TIMES.
End. Of. Story.
YES to all of this. What a jackass power play. I also eye-roll men who say they prefer their women without makeup, and I’ve met plenty of those. Honestly, I would love to be a woman who “didn’t need makeup”–but that sort of beauty is very rare. I have bad eyebrows and uneven skin. I am much prettier, more presentable, more confident with makeup.
Men complaining about a woman’s makeup is some sexist bullsh00 and I am not here for it. I choose the way I look.
Come on, this is part of acting and building a character. There’s nothing offensive or controlling about this. The role of a director is to help actors find their character, I think what Cooper did is actually perfect for the dynamic of his and Lady Gaga’s character.
Agreed.
True, but I’m surprised that she would show up in full gaga mode if she were so familiar with the character. This scenario does sound a little over the top..in fact it sounds like it’s straight from the script.
If the story is to be believed, concealer, mascara and rouge are hardly full-on Gaga makeup. It’s more a basic work look.
This. He was the director in this scenario, not just her co-star.
So what? Would you allow your boss/supervisor to walk up to you and wipe your face/ remove something from your person without asking /permission?A respectful person would have asked her to come bare faced or asked her to remove it there, not pompously/ rudely/ over stepping boundaries put his hands on her to do it himself.
Especially for this movie.
And this, ladies and gents, is how you normalize inappropriate behaviour and abuse of power.
Pretty much.
It’s make up. And if she had objected I am sure he would not have done it. He could have ever asked if it was ok but it’s not really relevant to he included. But if he wants the character to be without make up wanting to see her without it is normal.
But…but…art!!!!
Why do I never hear stories of female directors doing things like this. Hmm. What could it be. This is so hard to figure out…
YES.
Yup!!! So unnecessary. All he has to say is let’s test you without makeup as that is what the character looks like for 85% of the movie.
I’m sure it didn’t happened as described anyway. He probably just told her that her character was the opposite of Lady Gaga styling wise and had her take off her make up for the screen test. Wasn’t Beyonce floated around as his original co star? That would have been a weird dynamic.
This is so insanely over the top teen-age level of non-sense to sell the fim!
They are trying to establish a very corny and creepy parallel between the casting-acting process and the story of the film for PR purposes. And it sounds so dimwitted.
So true. The description sounded like a scene from a movie, very erotic without being sexual. It’s a hard sell to make the characters believable and nothing more. It is literally them saying, “See, a star was born!” Uh, no. She’s been around forever, we’ve seen her in her natural form, and this is ridiculous.
IDK. I feel like the story might have been played up for the effect, but I don’t think it’s right at all for him to wipe her face like a toddler. I REALLY hope he didn’t, or if he did, he hopefully at least asked.
That said – if she wants a role, and they want to see her without all the makeup – that’s kind of how it works. Models don’t get to show up for a call with a bunch of makeup on. If you’re trying out for a role for a more natural, or less polished character – well, you take yours off. I think that’s sensible in theory.
I’m skeptical this story even happened in this exact way, and I agree it’s been played up for the effect.
I also don’t think some people in HW get how these stories come off — it’s super tone deaf. When I read this story, it immediately sounded invasive to me.
Yeah, I think they live in such a separated little bubble that they don’t get how they sound at alllll. Because if I walked into my job and my boss attempted to wipe my makeup off (which the visual is hilarious to me when picturing my ACTUAL boss because he’s amazing, and is totally a laid back ex-emo kid who managed to grow up and get a management job in the tech industry) I’d be a mix of murderous and embarrassed. But I’m lucky I guess because it’s not even in the realm of something that could happen in my current position. As much as my job can annoy me at times, I really do have amazing bosses who look out for me, and know I deal with a lot more as the only woman on the team right now.
The first thing I thought of was ‘I guess this is how Harvey gets them’. It totally took me there and then the whispers. It shows how easy it is for them to literally strip you down of your clothes to play the part! Ehhh
This is terrifying. Also, if a character feels “ugly” surely she would wear lots of make up? In my experience that’s how it tends to go.
Does Gaga wear colored contacts? What is her natural eye color? In the trailer , her eyes looked brown. I thought she had hazel, greenish eyes.
This sounds creepy and like they both went a little too method. Anything to sell a picture, I guess.
That is wrong. You can’t just wipe a girl’s makeup off. Would a female director ever have the audacity to do that? Hell no! That is NOT appropriate. But, if she said something, she probably wouldn’t have gotten the part. Such bull crap.
I would let him wipe off my make up if he allowed me to shave off his beard, ahem.
I see what you did there
Lol
lol good one
Ugh sounds like college freshmen in a play, who sit in the cafe talking at the top of their lungs about their “method” and how they are “really fleshing out their character”… annoying.
Also I have the same problem with this real story as I do with the story in the movie: a woman needing a man to lead her in her personal expression of talent. Like, no. She’s a grown woman. She doesn’t need you to wipe her freakin face.
Creepy. And the write up of Brad’s stunt was over-the -top cornball drama. Gaga instantly released of all her insecurities by man using make up remover.
BTW, I think Gaga is quite attractive without make up so that’s another reason I can’t get believe the pre-film drama. But it’s so Bradley Cooper to me. Can’t the movie speak for itself?
Isn’t this literally what happens in the movie? This promo tour is going to be obnoxious.
Way OTT. Not gonna see the movie, not really interested in either of them.
Wasn’t she at her own house? He could have asked her to just wash her face.
Meh. He’s the director AND gaga is notorious for her costumes (make up). Don’t see the big deal. Also, going make up free is one thing butt make up free ON CAMERA is a whole diff beast. I get it 100%.
It comes off creepy to me because he demanded it, handing her a wipe and saying “take it off” is what irks me. Why not inform her before the meeting that he wanted to see her raw or with “no artifice”, or ask her nicely to go in the restroom and remove it. I dunno, maybe it’s not reading right in print, hopefully it wasn’t that bad.
I’m shocked she said she’s insecure, I never would’ve thought that about her.
Every. single. celebrity. is insecure AF. Why else would you need to court vast amounts of attention from the public?
I guess that makes sense, but as an insecure person myself the very last thing I would do is put myself out there to be judged, even if a lot of it is positive. I hate speaking in public, Hell I don’t even like speaking up in small groups of friends, it puts my insecurities into overdrive! But, we’re all different.
I have no interest in seeing this movie.
Cooper is so over rated, no idea how he got the career he has.
Gaga can sing, but why another remake of this story?
Nope.
I don’t see an issue with this at all and this is coming from someone who is makeup obsessed. Gaga’s character is supposed to be a Plain Jane so I can see why he wanted to remove her makeup. Now, had he asked her to have straight up sex with him to make sure they had “real sexual chemistry” then I could see an issue. A serious one. Having her remove her makeup seems right and fair for her role.
Disrespectful, patronizing, controlling…. instead of a dramatic makeup wipe why not sit down and have a conversation about the role and your vision of it. Why not treat a woman who is a-lot more famous and talented than you with the respect she deserves instead of preying on her insecurities to gain control? Yes I am in a mood…
Everyone is missing that this is for a SCREEN TEST. The article sets up that Bradley was pushing to get her hired and the producers weren’t sure, so they set up a screen test. This is the one chance she has to be filmed and convince the big cheeses that she’s authentic enough to play the role. So he was definitely in director mode and wanting to manage their preconceived ideas of what Gaga could bring to the role. It’s not like he took her makeup off in a regular meeting. It was related to how she would look on camera. I’ve had directors adjust my hair, wardrobe, etc to make sure the right image is captured before the camera rolls. Same thing here.
Agreed.
Yes!!!
She was at her house, she could have marched back up the stairs and washed her face
So try again
So pretentious! So awful! So self-absorbed!
We can tell already that the movie is gonna stink up the place.
And I am going to laugh and laugh and laugh at these bloviating narcissists.
Ugh, people are like ‘oh, this is a power move,’ uh noooo, it’s a dumb story that’s out there because they’re trying to sell Bradley Cooper the Artist more than Gaga the Actress. Like a brilliant but eccentric film director wiping make up off a starlet’s face to get her to truly be vulnerable for the camera is basically a trope. If he really did it, he planned it. I bet everyone on set was rolling their eyes (or maybe not, maybe everyone in Hollywood buys into that bullshit and they were like whoaaaaaaaaa, this guy is like the next Orson Welles.)
Meanwhile, wasn’t this basically a scene in that Howard Hughes movie, Leo Dicaprio has that 15-year-old actress take her lipstick off or something for a screen test?
Oh , you must have missed the reply button since you’re referencing my comment.
Positioning himself like this, even if it’s a story, is 100% a power move and it normalizes the abuse of power in Hollywood. That’s why Wells did this shit, for power and control, that’s why other directors do too. Having it in front of an audience would be even more so. And him planning it would make it worse, not better.
This being a story doesn’t negate that, there is significant power in stories. Weinstein used them to ruin multiple women who refused him, PR agents use them to manipulate the public’s opinion.
We all know Lady Gaga wears a ton of makeup. He should have requested that before he met her. She probably would have acquiesced, understanding he wanted to get a better idea of her in character when she auditioned without the distraction of her crazy makeup (or said something like only light makeup because this character will be very dressed down and I’m trying to envision who can play this character). It would have avoided this whole scenario.
I feel like this is a folk tale passed around over the years and added to and exaggerated to add some intrigue to the movie. He probably asked if she could audition bare faced and handed her a wipe. No one would do this. No dude or anyone is just going to start wiping off your makeup, ffs.
I just listened to a podcast about a woman who had been in an abusive relationship One of the stories involved the abusive partner wiping off her makeup. My friend also dated someone who, it turned out, was abusive. Early on he told her how he wanted her to be without makeup, how he really liked the “nautral” look. Another time after she spent time doing her makeup and was really happy with it, he started to complain and talk about how he was going to wipe it off. And then he just constantly criticized her for wearing any makeup.
For a lot of people, wearing makeup is like art – When I get ready in the morning, i LOVE having an hour to do my makeup. Yes, an hour. I get up when the hubs leaves for work, before my son gets up and I watch Colbert, It’s Always Sunny, something light, whatever, and I love to take my time. It’s like meditation….blending colors, using different brushes, it’s just fun for me. And believe it or not my makeup is pretty light – I don’t do contour or any of that fun stuff. I just love to take my time when it’s quiet and putter around. That said, I would be furious if someone did that to me (especially if it was NOT an expectation – if I were a model or something I think there is an expectation of no makeup because there is the implied action of wanting to know what kind of canvas other makeup and artistry will be built on) – mostly because it feels like there’s an underlying assumption that I’m wearing makeup because I want to hide my natural face. No, I’m wearing makeup because I just happen to like makeup. I can’t imagine he would ever walk up to her and rub her arms down with dermablend to get rid of her tattoos….so why the makeup?
Also, I feel like this has to be highly dramatized… The kind of makeup she wears is surely meant to be long-lasting and a makeup wipe would require some pretty significant labor to rub it off without making her look like she’s been in a sauna for the past 8 hours.
Sounds like a god complex.
I’m thinking the writer took some creative license in retelling that story or they were dramatic in telling it. Because that’s creepy as hell and they seem to have a nice friendship, so those two things down quite match up.
Who leaked an upcoming SNL skit?
LMAOO…omg that’s exactly what it sounds like!! SNL should act it out word for word.
Okay, I love the way Gaga looks in this movie. So pretty! Huge improvement over her “everyday” look that must take 5 hours. Go natural, girl. You have talent. No gimmicks needed.
I really like the way she looks in the clips, too.
I think she looks beautiful as her natural self. I always thought she was off-putting with all the makeup.
There are many pics online of Gaga without makeup. Not to mention the fact that her agent could have easily sent no-makeup head shots at his request. So, if true, it shows Cooper to be a controlling jerk.
Meh. The makeup thing isn’t crazy. Yeah, he probably asked her to remove it & took some dramatic license in retelling. It’s basically part of seeing if she’d work (her look). And they’re both so serious about their craft & shit, lol.
Thank god it’s not one of those f*cking “take off your shirt. I need to see your tits” stories. Ick!
That kind of artsy crap is nauseating. “Take off your makeup and you will become the part!” Right…
Sounds very dramatic, like a seen from a movie.
I highly doubt that Cooper showed up at Gaga’s house with make up wipes.
She usually piles make up on big time, snow shovel type of application, so he would need a beach towel, at least.
These movie remakes are silly, just leave it alone and do something original.
I certainly will not see this, regardless of their OTT promo.
😂😂😂 a beach towel sized makeup remover sheet! I agree though. I don’t wear it usually because I’m bedridden basically, but on the rare occasions I do wear mu, my mascara removal takes at least one sheet! That crap doesn’t come off easily & I hate having remnants on. Bothers my eyes.
So, yep. BC probably had a beach towel sized wipe slung on one shoulder. Ha!
I have a feeling we are getting the Hollywood version of the story. Doubt it happened as it is described and they are simply trying to get publicity.
This is one of the reasons i never liked him. Aside from the creepy vibes he gives off, he always seemed pretentious and calculated. And this move is no different.
Like others have mentioned, he could have told her to come to the meeting/screen test without make-up. But instead he waited for her with wipes in order to do that.
Also, he for sure could’ve given her the wipes or given her a moment to go do it somewhere private. Instead he waits for her to show up as the gaga we all know and begins to wipe her face unexpectedly in front of other people.
And now he’s low key taking credit for making her into an actress?? she’s been acting for years now, just cause he decides to do something hella cheesy doesn’t mean he turned her into an actor.
He’s just such a try hard.
He would be eating those wipes if that had happened to me.
Seriously. Should have asked her first.
I think this is a publicity stunt. the whole idea mirrors the film. And, take it from the source.
If you showed up to a date or an interview for a job where you weren’t going to be required to play a vulnerable star in the making, it would be incredibly patronizing and weird. But it’s pretty common knowledge that Lady Gaga is an image she portrays and we all know she wears lots of makeup and costumes. I can understand why, as a director, he’d need to see what’s underneath. Sounds to me like he was trying to make an impact, draw her interest in the project and get down to the realness of a person who puts on an image like that of Lady Gaga. She’s so perfect for this role. And let’s not forget, this isn’t her first foray into acting.
The trailer for this made me throw up in my mouth a ittle. A movie where lady gaga is supposed to be “homely” and Cooper is, what, handsome? Lol. It’s just such retrogressive, sexist garbage. The Star is Born story is almost a century old now and still hollywood’s idea of updating it is to make about rock music. I’m less bothered by his asking her to remove her makeup, actually; but then I’ve always suspected he’s an ass.
I look forward to the red carpets for this one – she’ll be all dolled up and he’ll roll up in jeans and an open shirt or something. Blech.
…. that’s really rude.
It reminds me of a Kevin Costner interview where he talked about how Whitney Houston had to audition for The Bodyguard, that he fought for her to be in it, and that she had worn stage makeup to her audition that literally melted, that she had to go take it off and tone it down. What is it with men and women’s makeup?
She is such a stunning woman without all that crap on her face! She is one of those people that can transform into a totally different looking person just by the way she applies her makeup. The character she is playing, the lady in the yellow getup and the above pictures and then the photo call pictures..they could all be different women.
did he want to be the only one wearing eyeliner?
Dominant, weird. I can’t WAIT for the level of weirdness and bullshit the press for this film will bring!
Sorry, but that sounds kind of hot.
Sounds super contrived and orchestrated as a story to tell later, corny and cliched just like the trailer made me feel. Also who wears 8 hour cream on their face that stuff is like stinky vaseline. Like Gaga would be unaware she would have to let them do whatever with her face to be in a movie?
Good lord, so many people assuming he invaded her space and forced her. Nonsense. The story says nothing about whether that happened. She noticed a makeup wipe in his hand. He used it to remove her makeup. It is just as likely he told her what he wanted for the film and asked her permission to remove her makeup. As the director, he had a specific vision and likely wanted to make a point, but that does not mean he was rude about it. I have never seen Bradley Cooper as someone who would force himself on a woman in such a way against her will. I like the fact that he wants her natural beauty to be front and center “without artifice.” That doesn’t happen often in Hollywood and he should be commanded for that.
Read his ex wifes comments about him and you might change your mind. Jennifer Espisito.
She never has said who she was talking about in the book and she actually commented on speculation that it was Bradley Cooper.
https://people.com/celebrity/jennifer-esposito-addresses-claim-she-called-ex-husband-bradley-cooper-a-master-manipulator/
The stills and the movie come across very dated. They’re trying too hard to promote the film. And yes, Bradley had no business wiping Gaga’s makeup whatever capacity he was acting in – if that really happened. Talk about overselling a film.