Bradley Cooper still has the utmost respect for Lady Gaga — and the feeling is mutual.
“It means the world to me,” Cooper, 48, told E! News when asked about Gaga’s appearance at the Tuesday, December 12, premiere of his latest movie, Maestro. “I’m really excited for her to see the movie.”
Cooper went on to refer to his former costar as a “dear friend.” The duo appeared alongside each other in the 2019 remake of A Star Is Born, which Cooper also directed.
“We went through such an incredible experience together,” he added, referring to their past film. “So, you just want to share the art with each other.”
Cooper brought his 6-year-old daughter, Lea De Seine, to the movie premiere, which took place at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles on Tuesday. She held hands with her father and smiled for the camera while looking cute in a cheetah-print gown. (Cooper shares his daughter with ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk.)
Photographers also snapped Cooper and Lea having a conversation with Gaga at the event. The “Applause” singer stunned in a black suit as she chatted with the father-daughter pair.
Cooper stars as late composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, which is set to premiere via Netflix later this month. He also produced and directed the film, which stars Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman and Michael Urie.
“Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein,” Netflix’s official logline reads. “A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.”
Between A Star Is Born and taking on the role of Bernstein, Cooper is no stranger to musical movies. The actor made it clear, however, that there’s no comparing his A Star Is Born character, Jackson Maine, to Bernstein.
“Lenny was harder,” Cooper told E! News on Tuesday. “First of all, he was a real person, so the responsibility felt much bigger and he was just so, so idiosyncratic. Jackson Maine was alive for a year that I’d shot of his life.”
The actor admitted he was “terrified” to bring Bernstein to life on screen.
“This was a guy from 25 to 67 years old,” Cooper said. “It was not even comparable the level of difficulty it felt for me.”
Now that Maestro will be released for the masses, Cooper noted he feels more “relieved” than ever.
Maestro had an initial theatrical release last month but will premiere via Netflix on Wednesday, December 20.
