Lady Gaga plays a singer-songwriter grappling with the highs (and lows) of newfound fame in “A Star Is Born,” but she says the real-life similarities between her and her character don’t extend far beyond their shared musical chops.
The pop superstar dropped by “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Thursday, opening up about her acclaimed turn in the hotly anticipated film as well as her working relationship with co-star and director Bradley Cooper.
Though “A Star Is Born” isn’t due out until Oct. 5, advance reviews have praised Gaga’s on-screen chemistry with Cooper. That natural rapport, she said, stems from their similar backgrounds.
“He makes you feel comfortable right away, and he’s just such a loving and caring person,” she told DeGeneres. “We’re both from the East Coast and we’re both Italian, so before I knew it, I was heating up leftovers in the kitchen and feeding him and we were talking about, you know, life.”
Though “A Star Is Born” will showcase Cooper’s skills as a singer for the first time, Gaga believes fans won’t be disappointed.
“I heard his voice and I stopped dead in my tracks,” she said. “He sings from his soul.”
To portray the character of Ally, Gaga went (mostly) without makeup on-screen ― making her “A Star Is Born” image a radical departure from her otherworldly concert and red carpet looks. The experience, she said, was “freeing, then terrifying.”
“In a lot of ways, Ally and I are nothing alike,” she said. “I decided, around 19 years old, that I was going to go for it as a singer because I couldn’t get any jobs as an actress. I just hit the pavement running.”
As for Ally, the character is “completely different,” she said. “She’s in her 30s, she’s completely given up on herself ... she doesn’t believe she’s beautiful. She’s jaded by the industry.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Gaga and DeGeneres played a game of “Burning Questions,” during which the diva revealed her first celebrity crush, her favorite body part and what she wears to bed every night.
And while she’s since relocated to Los Angeles, it’s clear from the clip she hasn’t lost touch with her New York roots.