There aren’t too many names bigger than Gaga’s—one of which, unquestionably though, belongs to Cher.
Perhaps that’s why when Lady Gaga was preparing for her Oscar-nominated role in “A Star Is Born,” she looked to the one-moniker icon for inspiration. Eric Roth, who co-wrote the film along with director and star Bradley Cooper, was actually the one to draw Gaga’s attention to she who came before her.
“I came aboard about the same time Lady Gaga did,” Roth said at the Beyond Words Panel at the Writers Guild Theater. “She asked me what she might look at because she’s not an actress by trade. She said, ‘What can I learn from?’ I said, ‘Look at Cher in ‘Moonstruck.’ She’s strong, so sure of herself, kind of tough-minded.” (A role that just so happened to win Cher an Oscar for Best Actress.)
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Roth, who won an Oscar himself several years back with “Forrest Gump,” also added that he had to alter his typical writing style for this film, which proved to be an adjustment for both he and Gaga. “I [usually] write 180-page scripts with a lot of prose,” he said. “No disrespect to Lady Gaga, but I’m not sure it’s in her DNA to do big set piece things with monologues.”
The shift seemed to work out just fine for Roth; he and his co-writers are nominated for their adapted screenplay. And, clearly, things have turned out well for Miss Gaga, as well.
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