How good was the latest iteration of A Star Is Born?
The original film was released way back in 1937, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, and was remade in 1954, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, and then again in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and country music’s own Kris Kristofferson.
However, the most recent edition, released in 2018, received rave reviews as it was full of powerful performances and great music. Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, music with Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell, and others… just an all-star collection of talent all the way around.
The film garnered five nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, as well as a whopping eight nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Only the song “Shallow” took home the win, earning Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt an Oscar for Best Original Song.
Of course, before the project even came to life, the entire cast gets together, along with other important people involved in making the movie, to do this little thing called a read through (or table read) where they basically run through the entire movie for the first time to get a taste of how it sounds off the page.
From there, they make any necessary adjustments to the script, switch up some lines, change the approach, cut out the boring stuff, etc… before they begin filming.
Anyway, during the table read for A Star Is Born, you have the entire cast there, around 50-something people in the room and Gaga belts out “Shallow,” completely a capella, dropping everybody’s jaw right through the table. Figuratively, of course…
Just look at the way Brad is looking at her, and that sheepish smile at the end, the shoulder rub… that’s the picture of man (making his directorial debut) who is inspired. Not to mention a round of applause from the entire room.
Check out this incredibly unique look behind the scenes:
Sam Elliott Earns First Oscar Nomination
In 50 years of acting, this is the first time Sam Elliott has ever heard his name mentioned alongside “Oscar nominee,” and his response was pretty hilarious. He joked in an interview with Deadline:
“I think the thing off the top of my head might be, ‘It’s about effing time.’ Beyond that, it’s really about the work. It’s just about the creative process. It’s great to be recognized for that, that’s really all it’s about.”
He was nominated for his role as Jackson Maine’s brother and manager Bobby in the critically-acclaimed movie A Star Is Born, which received a total of 8 Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
Elliott has starred in, among others roles, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Up In The Air, Road House, Big Lebowski and the popular Netflix series The Ranch.
Despite, his impressive career, Elliott remains humbled.
“I think my biggest takeaway is just how fortunate I am. Number one, to still be in the game, but to have an opportunity to work with two people like Bradley and Stefani (Lady Gaga), it’s just extraordinary. Fifty years into the game and all of a sudden to have anything to do with this, to be connected with a film like this, it’s just a wonderful gift.”
Well deserved.
