Bradley Cooper Really Playing Guitar

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Cooper directed the movie and stars as Jackson Maine, a down-and-out country singer who meets struggling artist Ally, played by musical dynamo Lady Gaga. The pair have incredible chemistry, and the two received Oscar nominations for their roles. Cooper even joined Gaga onstage during her Vegas residency in January.

A plethora of live musical numbers feature in the movie, but is Cooper really performing all of them? Here's everything you need to know. Watch the Movie

Bradley Cooper Says Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Inspired His 'a Star Is Born' Performance

, the actor had singing, guitar, and piano lessons for six months just so that he could portray a country singer in the movie.

Alongside the grueling musical schedule, Cooper also co-wrote the movie's script, directed the film, and co-wrote several songs for the soundtrack. No big deal.

About the first time she heard Cooper sing. She revealed, I was blown away by him. He sings from his soul, he sings from his gut. Apparently, the director convinced her of his ability to play Jackson Maine at their first meeting thanks to his incredible voice.

A Star Is Born': Bradley Cooper Reportedly Wanted Musician Jack White To Play Jackson Maine

To ensure that the movie looked and sounded as real as possible, Cooper took to the stage at Glastonbury to film scenes for

. Fans were, of course, overjoyed to see the famous actor play guitar and sing alongside Lady Gaga, Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich, and Kris Kristofferson, per

Despite Cooper having comprehensive music tutelage before filming the movie, the sound viewers actually hear in A Star Is Born is provided by another musician. While Cooper is a competent player, a famous musician—Willy Nelson's son Lukas Nelson—is responsible for the music in the movie.

Did Bradley Cooper Sing In A Star Is Born?

Having co-written much of the music, Nelson was an important collaborator on A Star Is Born. As an accomplished country music star, it makes sense that his incredible skills were utilized in the final version. Nelson confirmed to The Fader, The music you hear on the soundtrack was played by my band, and I produced those songs with everybody.

, Cooper revealed that he'd based some of his portrayal of Jackson on Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Having spent time with Vedder while researching the movie, Cooper told the singer that he planned to perform his own songs onscreen, to which Vedder apparently replied, What? Bro, don’t do that.

, Cooper was able to ask for permission to perform onstage at one of the country legend's concerts. According to Vanity Fair, Cooper wanted the live scenes to look as realistic as possible, and was given just eight minutes during Nelson and Johnson's set to perform, meaning that his performance had to be perfect the first time.

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Actor showed up at Lady Gaga's Las Vegas residency, ENIGMA, recently. Video of the duo's performance was shared on social media, proving that Cooper can definitely sing live.

Plus, it's now been announced that he will perform Shallow at the 2019 Oscars alongside Lady Gaga, which is sure to be epic.

Will agree that Cooper's vocal performance is impressive, especially when you consider the fact that he also directed, co-wrote, and acted in the movie.

Lady Gaga Urged Bradley Cooper To Sing Live In 'a Star Is Born'

Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.

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The 30 Best Movies of 2023 The True Story Behind May December What to Know About “The Crown” Season 6 Part 2 What Elizabeth Debicki Learned From Diana“A Star is Born” was full of firsts for Bradley Cooper. Not only was the film his directorial debut, but it also marked the first time he ever played a guitar.

“I would rate his skills right up there with, literally, some of the best that you’ve heard, ” the music mogul told Access. “But it’s more the moment that he created. He opened up a world and a new audience to the fact that live music delivered like that could be really compelling.”

In fact, it wasn’t until JC tried his hand at playing “Shallow” himself that he realized the depth of Bradley’s shredding skills.

How Much Of His Own Singing And Guitar/piano Playing Does Bradley Cooper Really Do In 'a Star Is Born'?

“I gotta tell ya. I learned it, and … It’s not what you would expect from someone who you didn’t know really played guitar, ” he explained. “He’s got his own intricacies. He’s created his own sound. And to try to replicate that is not easy.”

Bradley Cooper plays hisGibson J-45 as heshoots footage for “A Star Is Born” at the Glastonbury Festival on June 23, 2017. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)

Gibson has a special connection to “A Star is Born”; the two guitars Bradley performed with onscreen are made by the company. Jackson Maine’s acoustic guitar (which he famously plays during “Shallow”) is a Gibson J-45, while his olive drab electric guitar (which he rocked in the film’s opening scene) is a custom Gibson ES 345.

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“It was really cool to see it come to life on the screen, ” said JC, who also was blown away by Bradley’s direction and attention to detail in the film’s opening scene.

“You could hear it resonate through the theater, and you’re like, how are they getting that sound?” he said. “I think they paid attention to that authenticity – to put you in the moment of being there without being there.”

While the Gibson ES 345 model Bradley performed on isn’t currently available for sale, “A Star is Born” fans might be able to get their hands on their own in the future.A Star Is Born is already riding waves of accolades from critics and fans alike. While tons of attention is focused on Lady Gaga and her breathtaking performance, her costar (and director!) Bradley Cooper also is getting his fair share of praise. This latest movie musical, a remake of the 1976 musical drama (and its 1954 and 1937 predecessors), stars Cooper as Jackson Maine, a hard-living rock legend whose decline coincides with the rise of small-town country singer Ally, played by Gaga. Both stars tear it up vocally, singing live and providing their own voices without dubbing. Cooper's character also plays the guitar, and it has us wondering: is he playing for real up there?

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You bet he is! Cooper revealed that he learned to play guitar for the role, taking around a year and a half of intensive music lessons in order to carry it off. He actually appeared on stage at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, using the festival set to film some scenes for A Star Is Born. In a fun nod, his set came right before Kris Kristofferson, who played the corresponding role in the 1976 A Star Is Born opposite Barbra Streisand.

Playing guitar live and filming at a festival doesn't seem like a great idea in today's spoiler-heavy, social-media-obsessed world, but Cooper had a plan in action to prevent leaks. He told Rolling Stone, We couldn't play through the PA system because of the music. All the music's original, so the music couldn't get out, but it was playing through the monitors. So about five rows out they could hear us, but then 20 rows out they couldn't. This kept the movie's original songs from leaking early but allowed for the filmmakers to get authentic reaction shots and settings.

A Star Is Born opens Oct. 5 as one of the most anticipated movies of the Fall, and we're more excited than ever!

Is Bradley Cooper Really Playing The Guitar In A Star Is Born?

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