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Watch Bradley Cooper Demonstrate the Vocal Exercise He Did to Become A Star Is Born’s Jackson Maine
The Tony and Oscar nominee (and recent Grammy winner) breaks down the making of his Oscar-nominated film.
“Part of knowing I wanted to do this movie and have her, and wanting to sing everything live is creating one of these guys ... they're rock stars,” A Star is Born actor, writer, director Bradley Cooper told Stephen Colbert of his film on the February 14 episode of The Late Show.
In addition to co-writing the screenplay of the 2018 remake and directing the film, Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a rock star who falls in love with a gifted young artist Ally, played by Lady Gaga, and who struggles with addiction.
READ: The Untold Story of A Star Is Born
It’s well known by now that Cooper looked to actor Sam Elliott, who wound up playing Jackson’s brother to the tune of an Oscar nomination himself, for inspiration for Jackson’s voice. “I knew I wanted to lower my voice, but I didn't want to make him too country. Sam Elliott is from Sacramento but his mother was from Texas so he has this accent that you can't quite place,” Cooper explained.
“I would do this warm-up all the time. ... I would go to sleep and my throat would hurt,” he said. “I would have this warm-up line, ‘This part here is about as good as it gets for me.’”
A Star Is Born is nominated for eight Oscars. A major force in film, Cooper has also had success in theatre. He made his Broadway debut in Three Days of Rain alongside Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd, returning to the Main Stem in 2014 as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, which earned him a Drama Desk and Tony nomination.
