Actor Bradley Cooper has important words to say about fatherhood during a time when fathers are regarded as a utilitarian function at best or an unfortunate necessity at worst. He is the father of a one-year-old girl with his wife, Irina Shayk, and has referred to this experience as a “miracle.”
Speaking with NPR about his upcoming film, “A Star is Born,” in which he served as both actor and director, Cooper talked about how having a child opened him up to doing the piece of art he believed in, something he felt deeply a part of. He has been working on “A Star is Born” for four years now.
“I spent the next four years doing that,” Cooper told NPR. “And the one thing that I know in the future is: It’s worth all the time to dedicate, even if one piece of art comes out of it in a half a decade, that would still be incredible as long as I can feel like it’s the movie I wanted to make, which is this movie.”
“So I guess having a child, and having a family of my own — which is a miracle and something I’ve always dreamt of — has opened me up even more, I guess, to the day, and to be present,” he added.
Cooper said that he dedicated parts of the film to his own father, who died in 2011 after a battle with cancer, which made it all the more personal.
“In terms of this story being personal, a lot of it has to do with my father. My dad works his way into my life every day,” he said. “Luckily, thank God, I still dream about him — he comes into my dreams.”
The dog in the film is named Charlie in honor of his father.
Both Cooper and co-star Lady Gaga felt a deep connection to the film based on how they relate to their families and upbringing as children.
“Here’s the other thing that connected Stefani [Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s given name] and myself right away, is that we were very, very loved as children,” he said. “And when I meet people that have had that similar upbringing, I can just see it in them. And that’s the thing I want my daughter to have — I just always want her to feel loved.”
“A Star is Born” will be released nationwide on October 5 and marks the third remake of the 1937 film starring Janet Gaynor.