Lady Gaga fought to include the drag bar scene in ‘A Star Is Born’.
Bradley Cooper’s character Jackson first meets Gaga’s Ally at a drag bar in the movie and Shangela, from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, who plays the bar owner, says fans have Gaga, 32, to thank for the setting.
Shangela told Billboard: "The film, to be honest, as the film came about, the scene with the drag bar got cut, I believe. And if I had this right, Gaga fought for those scenes to be brought back into the film because she really felt like this is where the heart of her character lies. Obviously [Gaga’s] roots are very closely tied to the LGBTQ world as well. So you’ll see how that all shakes out in the movie, but she really wanted to make a stand for her LGBTQ fans, so we got back in."
Shangela also revealed Bradley, 43, was an "intense" director, who allowed his actors to have a great deal of creative control.
Shangela said: "I remember the first day on set with Bradley Cooper, he came up to me and was like, you know, ‘Shangela’ – I’m sure that was the first time he had said the name ‘Shangela’ – he was like, ‘Shangela, honey, I know you had the script and your lines and everything, but this is your world. This is drag club scenes, this is your world, so feel free to go as far as you’d like with the character, and I’ll pull you back if I feel it’s too far.’
"And I said, ‘OK, Mr. Cooper,’ and baby, he hit action, and I just went into full-on Drag Queen Bar Owner Shangela mode, because I do this – I’m on a 181-city tour this year. I’ve been doing this for seven years. I know some draaaag and how to make this character really pop. So I do what I thought was good, and he called, ‘Cut,’ and I was like, ‘Oh lord, what’d I do?’
"So he comes up to me – he’s very intense. He grabs both sides of my face, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, baby, my makeup,’ you know? He grabs my face and is like, ‘That’s amazing. Do it again. Action!’
"To have that validation, it made such a welcoming space on-set. He created such a good environment where he allows you to be you and bring what you bring to the character, but also with great direction. I loved working with him."
Lady Gaga fought for A Star Is Born drag scenes
