Howard Stern Almost Played a Pivotal Role in ‘A Star Is Born’

Longtime radio host Howard Stern has a long list of accomplishments to his name. Beyond running The Howard Stern Show, his signature broadcast which has aired since 1986 between terrestrial radio and eventually SiriusXM satellite radio, he’s also written multiple books, had a brief stint as a judge on America’s Got Talent, and dabbled in television. As an actor, however, his experience is limited outside of Private Parts, the 1997 biographical comedy adaptation of his book of the same name in which he starred as himself. In an interview with Bradley Cooper on his show this morning, however, Stern revealed that he was in line for a major role in the actor/director’s 2018 hit A Star Is Born.

Stern was originally planned to play a much different version of Bobby Maine, the older brother to Cooper’s troubled country singer Jack Maine. Although he was initially committed to appearing in the film, he ultimately declined the opportunity, paving the way for the version tailor-made for Sam Elliott that would earn an Oscar nomination for the beloved character actor. The few people that knew of Stern’s decision were stunned, as he told Cooper “And they look at me like, ‘what the f—?! You didn’t do it?'” Cooper confirmed, adding “This was early – early things swimming in my head when I offered it to you.”

Needless to say, the infamous radio host would’ve offered a far different angle than the gruff frequent Western actor, but Stern reaffirmed he was fully on board. “I said I’m going to go full-on into it,” he continued. “I’m gonna shave my head, I’m gonna change my whole look.” Likewise, Cooper said it took Stern around three weeks to finally make his decision on the role. “You really contemplated this… When we started talking about you shaving your head, that was very exciting.” Stern even joked that he would’ve won Cooper an Oscar, though he admitted he was “just nervous about maybe making a fool out of myself.”

‘A Star Is Born’ Put Together a Brilliant Cast

In the end, Cooper’s take on the much-adapted story of stardom and heartbreak did just fine without Stern, earning eight Oscar nominations with one win for Best Original Song. The film follows the blossoming love between Jackson “Jack” Maine and the struggling musician Ally (Lady Gaga) whom he helps get a leg up in the industry. As her career blossoms, he continues to spiral into a war with his internal demons, damaging everyone around him. Cooper, Gaga, and Elliott led A Star Is Born‘s starry cast alongside Rafi Gavron, Andrew Dice Clay, Anthony Ramos, Dave Chappelle, Drena De Niro, and Greg Grunberg.

Cooper left the door open for a possible future team-up with “The King of All Media,” but it will have to wait for the time being, as the star is currently out promoting Maestro. His latest directorial effort sees him playing famed composer Leonard Bernstein and specifically tracks the course of his marriage with Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). The film is currently enjoying a limited run in theaters and will arrive on Netflix on December 20. Read our review here for everything you need to know about the biopic.

A Star is Born

Release Date

October 3, 2018

Director

Bradley Cooper

Cast

Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle

Rating

R

Runtime

135

Main Genre

Musical

Studio

Warner Bros.

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