This Star Was Almost Cast In A Star Is Born Instead Of Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga has come a long way from performing in a blonde wig in Lower East Side bars. After dominating pop music for years, Gaga ventured into other arenas, collaborating on a jazz album with Tony Bennett and winning a Golden Globe for her performance in American Horror Story: Hotel. If Grammys and Golden Globes weren't enough, it was Gaga's performance in A Star Is Born that truly established her as a performer for the ages — not just a flash in the pan.
In A Star Is Born, Gaga carried the torch that once belonged to icons like Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, picking up an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and a win for Best Original Song in the process. All that being said, this nearly didn't happen. According to Slate, the most recent iteration of A Star is Born was in development for years before the Bradley Cooper-directed version made its way into theaters. Before Gaga signed on, a very different star was nearly born.
Beyoncé nearly led 'A Star Is Born'
Before Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper signed on to lead 2018's A Star Is Born, there was a very different couple in talks to headline the film: Beyoncé and Clint Eastwood. At first glance, Beyoncé seems like a natural choice to play Ally. After all, she knows firsthand what it takes to rise to the top of the music business, and she's proven her movie musical chops in Dreamgirls and Cadillac Records, earning Golden Globe nominations for her work in both films.
That cast was simply not meant to be, however, as Beyoncé became pregnant with Blue Ivy, and Eastwood went on to direct other projects, per The Hollywood Reporter. Of course, the rest is history. The role went to Beyoncé's "Telephone" collaborator, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé remained successful at basically everything she so much as looks at. Funnily enough, that wasn't the only time Lady Gaga replaced Beyoncé due to a pregnancy. Gaga filled in for Queen Bey at Coachella in 2017 ahead of the birth of Beyoncé's twins, Rumi and Sir.
Despite the various replacements, the two seem to be good friends.