Bradley Cooper Wanted Howard Stern To Have A Starring Role In This Movie

Howard Stern developed a reputation as a “shock jock” over the course of his career. He became known for his guests’ outrageous antics on air and getting celebrities to reveal things they would never admit to anyone else. However, as the years went on, Howard softened and became more known for his brilliant style of interviewing.

Howard has also delved into territories outside of radio. He became a judge on America’s Got Talent and even wrote several books. One of which, “Private Parts,” was made into a movie of the same name. The biopic, about Howard’s rise to fame, starred none other than the radio legend himself.

Howard wouldn’t return to acting in films, however. He did receive an offer from his pal Bradley Cooper when the actor was about to embark on his directorial debut for 2018’s A Star Is Born. Despite not telling that many people privately, Howard decided to spill the beans during a conversation with Bradley himself on the radio.

Bradley Cooper Asked Howard Stern To Play Jackson Maine’s Brother In ‘A Star Is Born’

In November 2023, Bradley Cooper was a guest on The Howard Stern Show to promote his Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro. The film centers around the relationship between American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. However, that wasn’t the only thing the two talked about. During the discussion, Howard revealed that he almost had a role in Bradley’s 2018 directorial debut, A Star Is Born.

Howard praised Bradley’s singing ability, which was on full display in the film. “It’s really good,” Howard said. He also criticized Bradley for not launching a full tour to promote A Star Is Born, since he believed the actor was that good of a singer. The two also revealed that they have become very good friends in real life, thanks to Bradley’s many appearances on the Stern show over the years.

Howard previously starred in the 1997 biopic about himself, Private Parts. The film became a success among Howard’s fan base, but it didn’t lead the radio host to continue acting in more films. Howard revealed that he only told a handful of people about the offer Bradley made him for A Star Is Born. “And they look at me like, ‘what the f***?! You didn’t do it?’” Howard said.

“This was early things swimming in my head when I offered it to you,” Bradley told Howard. The role he offered the radio host was that of his older brother and manager, which would later go to Sam Elliott. Bradley said that he wrote the role with Sam in mind, so that ended up working out perfectly.

“And I went, ‘Whoa! You must think I’m a lot better looking than’… they’re gonna be like… what is this movie gonna be like, ‘Twins?’’ I’m Danny DeVito and he’s Arnold Schwarzenegger?,” Howard jokingly said. Howard did admit that he found the idea of playing the role intriguing. “I said I’m going to go full-on into it. I’m gonna shave my head, I’m gonna change my whole look,” Howard revealed, saying he would’ve gone into method actor mode in order to play the character.

Howard spends a lot of time complaining about most things he’s involved with that aren’t his radio show. Despite this, Bradley made a surprising revelation that Howard didn’t turn down the offer right away. “You really contemplated this,” Bradley said, revealing he waited three weeks for Howard to come to a decision.

“Man, I would have won him an Oscar too!” Howard joked.

“But when we started talking about you shaving your head that was very exciting,” Bradley said, thinking about what could’ve been. “Oh it would have been amazing.” Howard agreed with Bradley, saying he also thinks it would’ve been “really good,” but Howard admitted he let his insecurities get the best of him. He said he was “just nervous about maybe making a fool out of myself.”

Howard joked with Bradley about the two of them doing a remake of The Elephant Man. However, this doesn’t seem to be a possibility. What Bradley did say, is that he is hopeful he can one day find a project and role that will bring Howard back to the big screen.

Bradley Said That He Dug Deep In Order To Portray The Vulnerable Sides Of His Character

In 2018, Bradley sat down with NPR to discuss A Star Is Born, working with Lady Gaga, and the parts of himself he had to revisit in order to portray his character’s vulnerable side. When talking about Lady Gaga, he said the two hit it off nicely. He also said the musician made him feel very comfortable and gave him a confidence boost.

“I knew nothing about her,” he began. “I didn’t even know, really, what she looked like before I met her. And I was — I couldn’t believe how comfortable she made me feel, and how present she was — is. And then we went to the piano and sang, and it was this kind of wonderful thing. I couldn’t believe it.”

Bradley also revealed everything you hear in the film was sung live on set. He continued, “So that was the beginning of the journey. And the first time we sang together — everything’s live; we sing everything live in the movie — oh yeah, there’s nothing, we’re not lip-synching. And I turned to Lady Gaga, who was singing next to me, and she was looking at me like I was Jackson Maine. And when you’re in a scene, and the actor is fully believing that you’re the character, you can’t not believe it yourself. So she really gave me that confidence.”

The character of Jackson Maine has issues with addiction, particularly alcoholism, throughout the film. Bradley said he dug deep to portray this on screen, and revealed he was quite familiar with the struggle. “I think because I’m 40, and I’ve gone through a lot in my life, I was able to do it with joy,” he said. “‘Cause some people have asked me: It must have been hard to go to those places? But oddly enough, it was very therapeutic…You know, I’ve had an interesting road, and I’ve dealt with similar things in my life. And I’ve observed it in others close to me…”

Bradley continued, “And addiction in general. And the main thing, when I was writing it and specifically shooting it, I thought: Gosh, when this movie comes out (if it does come out), I really want anybody who knows deeply about this disease to say, ‘Yeah, this is the reflection of what it’s like.’ Not a glossy version, but the real reality of what it is to be an addict.”

The film wasn’t without its share of behind-the-scenes controversy. Jon Peters, who was credited as a producer on the film, had prior sexual harassment allegations which resurfaced at the time. Bradley said that he did everything in his power to make sure everyone was comfortable and safe on set.

“With this property, there are many writers that come before — if you see the end credits, it’s like, there’s ten writers. And [Jon Peters] was part of the, I guess, the grandfather clause of the movie, and we had to get his consent in order to make the movie,” Bradley said, explaining Jon’s involvement in the film.

On his own responsibility as a director to create a safe environment, he said, “When you’re at the helm, it’s a huge responsibility. And I guess — I mean, first of all, on the set… You have to create an environment where everybody feels safe. Everybody. And there’s no room for disrespect, nothing. And that’s something that you’d have to ask everybody who was involved, but I feel like that’s the environment I created.”

Bradley continued, “Luckily, Jon wasn’t there. And if I had known all those things, I would have done it differently. And I guess it’s … I wanted to make the movie, I knew I had to get consent from him, otherwise there’s no film. But I should have checked. I guess that’s the thing.”

Sam Elliot Said That He Found Bradley Cooper’s Imitation Of Him While In Character ‘Weird’

Sam Elliot earned his first Oscar nomination ever for his role in A Star Is Born. The actor was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category. He did an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2019 to discuss Bradley and the first time they met. Sam recalled how he first reacted to hearing Bradley speak as Jackson, because the character’s voice was based on his own.

“I’d never met him before,” Sam told the outlet. “I went to his home, and had a meal with him, and we talked for a couple of hours, talked about our moms, and our families, and the business, and talked about his vision for the film. [Cooper] played [me] the tape of him working with a voice coach, when he’s trying to get my voice down. I remember him saying, ‘This is going to sound a little weird,’ and it f****** did sound weird. Because it sounded like me! And he’s been listening to my voice in interviews that I’d done. So, not only was he sounding like me, he was saying s*** that had come out of my mouth.”

Sam continued, “He showed me a piece on his phone of him and [Lady] Gaga at her piano at her place and both of them were singing. I was excited about it when I left there, because I knew that Bradley clearly wanted me for the part. I hadn’t seen the script. I just had the conversation with Bradley and he talked about this brother relationship. But you know, this is the fourth f****** incarnation of a project — you wonder [if it will work]. But it was just evident that Bradley was, number one, so f****** smart, much smarter than I would ever thought of being. I mean, he’s well-educated. And as it turned out, he’s a brilliant filmmaker.”

Sam revealed that his wife, Katherine Ross, told him the news of his Oscar nomination, which he said “astounded” him. “I turn my phone off at night, and that night I turned it off for sure, because I knew the word comes out about 5:30 in the morning,” he said. “It was 7:30 in the morning and Katharine calls up to me. She said, ‘Sam?’ I said, ‘Yeah?’ ‘You got the nomination!’ I was like, ‘Oh, cool!’ I’ve had a few awards come my way, but very few. I just never really thought about that. I just always felt lucky to get a job. So when it came, I thought, ‘What the f***, man? It’s impossible!’”