Bradley Cooper’s physical transformation for A Star Is Born rivaled — nay, eclipsed! — Christian Bale’s for Vice. To play the jaded, addicted country rockstar Jackson Maine, Cooper added amber highlights to his fecund mane, darkened his beard, used self-tanner daily, and dropped his voice from “regular white man†to “Sam Elliott–style sexy-gravelly,†and we thank Mr. Cooper for this important work. A screen test, ostensibly shot before Warner Bros. green-lit the musical melodrama, reveals that at one point in the movie’s development, Cooper-as-Jackson Maine had … an earring?! Okay … okay … let’s just sit with what we’ve heard!
Black eyes, open wide to this clip: In this DVD extra, Cooper and Gaga are in character, seemingly flirting and fussing with one another, as the couple often does. It’s hard to focus on anything other than how well Jackson Maine’s tanned skin complements his denim shirt, but if you look closely, there, on his left ear is the teensiest, tiniest hoop earring.
Oh, what could’ve been! Imagine Bradley Cooper getting in costume every morning, wiping off Lady Gaga’s makeup with a makeup wipe, before lovingly fastening a fake earring to his ear? Rami Malek, Christian Bale, Viggo Mortensen, Will Dafoe could never. It’s called acting, look it up!