The 'American Sniper' star refuses to name names, but inside source claims that the first-time director met with the former frontman of The White Stripes before Lady GaGa joined the cast.
- November 14, 2018
AceShowbiz - Bradley Cooper wanted Jack White to play the male lead in "A Star Is Born" before agreeing to take on the role of Jackson Maine.
The first-time director tells Variety he had someone else in mind for the part before Lady GaGa signed on, but he refused to name names, revealing only that studio bosses "wouldn't make the movie" with his pick.
Sources now claim the former The White Stripes leader, who has appeared in the films "Cold Mountain" and "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story", was the star in question.
Cooper and White reportedly met, but it's not clear whether that was to talk about the role of Jackson or as the film's music consultant - a job that went to Willie Nelson's songwriter son Lukas.
Cooper was previously offered the role of Maine by pal Clint Eastwood, when he was on board the project as director, but the veteran moviemaker's "American Sniper" star turned him down because he didn't think he was old enough to portray a grizzled, alcoholic rock star.
The first-time director eventually decided to play his own leading man opposite Lady GaGa, and their film has become a huge hit, sparking Oscar buzz, particularly for their song "Shallow", which many critics feel should pick up Best Song at the Academy Awards next year.
Cooper tells Variety he's well aware it's an Oscar-worthy song and he'd love to sing it onstage at the Dolby Theater next year.
"We talked about that actually, because I'm such a maniac," the actor/director says. "I started texting her (GaGa) the whole pitch of how we should do it. So we'll see. There might be a cool, unorthodox way we could perform it."
