Sam Elliott on 'A Star is Born' and the telltale sign that he was shoo-in for the role
Sam Elliott's supporting role in the new romantic drama "A Star is Born" may just earn him his first Oscar. Elliott plays Bobby, brother to Bradley Cooper's Jackson Maine. Cooper, not only stars in the film, but he also directed it.
And he reached out to Elliott about joining the cast. It seems Elliott's iconic, husky voice could have been key to him snagging a role in what has become one of the most buzzed-about films this fall.
"I didn't know Bradley before we worked on the this film," Elliott said in an appearance on "Popcorn with Peter Travers. "I'd never crossed paths with him. He played a tape for me which he recorded with his voice coach. He said, 'this is going to sound a little weird to you probably.' And it did in fact sound very weird to me because he was very close to doing a pretty good imitation of me, a pretty good take off." But I figured that in fact upped my odds for getting the job or having the job in the film, if he'd spent four months getting my voice down."
Travers asked if Elliott was freaked out by Cooper sounding just like him.
"Yes, but it was the reason he did it that mattered," Elliott said. "We're brothers in the film, brothers in the story. And the stealing of the voice, it's an integral part of that little arc."
He said, 'this is going to sound a little weird to you probably.' And it did in fact sound very weird to me because he was very close to doing a pretty good imitation of me, a pretty good take off.
This version of the story marks the fourth remake of the 1937 film of the same name. It follows the tale of a seasoned musician, Jackson Maine, who falls in love with a struggling artist, Ally, (played by Lady Gaga) and helps her discover her dream of making it big. Elliott also enjoyed working with Lady Gaga.
"I was a huge fan, because I have a daughter that's two years older than Gaga, Cleo," Elliott, 74, told Travers. "I've been listening to her music at home for the last ten years."
Elliott downplayed the Oscar buzz swirling around the film saying he's not thinking that far ahead.
"I'd just as soon enjoy the ride," he said.
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"A Star is Born is in theaters everywhere.”
Watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Sam Elliott in the video above.
