Lady Gaga's Oscar-Nominated 2018 Movie Role Broke An 81-Year Hollywood Streak (2024)

Lady Gaga's acting career saw a major leap forward when she starred alongside Bradley Cooper in 2018's A Star Is Born, for which she was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the Academy Awards while quietly breaking another record. A Star Is Born has been remade three times since the original 1937 iteration, depicting the tragic love affair between a young actress and/or singer who falls in love and gets her big break with help from a washed-up celebrity whose fame is fading.

Cooper also received a nomination at this year's Oscars when he and Gaga delivered a poignant love story showcasing the characters' personal and professional struggles as individuals and together. The story is also reframed to focus on the two leads' careers in country rock music, as the exact nature of the characters' genre of stardom is usually changed with each iteration. Other details have shifted between each remake of A Star Is Born, yet one thing about the female lead remained constant — until Gaga took to the stage.

A Star Is Born (2018) Is The Only Version Where The Female Lead Isn't Called Esther

Lady Gaga's A Star Is Born Character Is A Departure From The Tradition Of Gaynor, Garland, & Streisand

Before Gaga, the female lead of A Star Is Born was played by Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland, and Barbra Streisand; in all three of these actresses' movies, the character's first name is Esther. Then Gaga's movie somewhat strangely broke tradition with her playing a character named Ally. The name of the male lead has been altered over the years, as well as Esther's last name and stage name — but she was officially always Esther before 2018.

The team behind the newest A Star Is Born possibly decided upon Ally as their star's name because it sounds more modern, offering a stronger brand for the character as she becomes a musical star in the story. As she rises to megastar status, Ally and her management settle on her being known mononymously while promoting her music. This alteration cast helps the fictional music producers, but otherwise, is a moderately unnecessary change, especially when the name was consistent for so long.

A Star Is Born's Name Change Adds Little To Lady Gaga's Character

Lady Gaga's Ally Fulfills The Same Narrative Role As The Esthers Before Her

Ultimately, the name Ally doesn't add or take away from Gaga's version of the character. It may sound younger or more saccharine than the old-fashioned-seeming Esther, but she is still the same star who is about to get a series of lucky breaks but always faces losing the love of her life to his failing career in A Star Is Born's ending. The name is just as irrelevant to the powerful performance Gaga gave during her turn with A Star Is Born, which set her up for exciting new opportunities we are still seeing play out.

See Also

What to Know About the Original 'A Star Is Born'—and the Other Versions, Too

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A Star is Born

R

Music

Drama

Musical

The third remake of the original 1937 film, A Star Is Born stars Bradley Cooper as Jackson Maine, an alcoholic Country musician who discovers and falls in love with a young and aspiring singer named Ally, played by Lady Gaga. As Jack helps Ally become famous, their relationship deepens, but his private demons have devastating consequences on both their lives. The film was also Cooper's directorial debut.

Director

Bradley Cooper

Release Date

October 5, 2018

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Bradley Cooper , Eric Roth , Will Fetters

Cast

Michael Harney , Sam Elliott , Bonnie Somerville , Lady Gaga , Anthony Ramos , Dave Chappelle , Bradley Cooper , Andrew Dice Clay

Runtime

2h 15m