One of the sure-things as far as the 2019 Oscar nominations went was Bradley Cooper for Best Director for “A Star is Born.” The nomination had everything going for it: an A-list actor-turned-director, a massive blockbuster at the box office, rave reviews, and oh yeah, he directed the hell out of the film. But alas, it was not meant to be, as Cooper was snubbed from the Director nom. And the actor recently spoke out about his lack of a Best Director nomination and admitted that it made him embarrassed.
Speaking at a recent Oscars event (via People), Cooper was asked about the Director snub.
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“I’m never surprised about not getting anything,” Cooper said. “But it’s funny you ask this, because I’ve thought about this. I was with my friend at a coffee shop in New York City, and I looked down at my phone, and Nicole [Caruso, Cooper’s publicist] had texted me congratulations on these other things but didn’t tell me the bad news. And I went, ‘Oh, wow.’ And the first thing I felt was embarrassment, actually.”
He added, “I felt embarrassed that I didn’t do my part. Like, ‘Oh gosh, I didn’t do my job.’ But the truth is, even if I got the nomination, that should not give me any sense of whether I did my job or not. That’s the trick. The trick is to make something you believe in and you work hard.”
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Now, your first instinct might be to roll your eyes at that comment. As if Bradley Cooper, one of the biggest stars on the planet, should ever feel embarrassed by not getting an Oscar nomination for his directorial debut. But as a human, it’s hard not to empathize with the filmmaker.
“A Star is Born” earned seven Oscar nominations in just about every major category except Best Director. It’s hard not to take that as some sort of dismissal for your skills or lack thereof. Of course, that’s not what happened, and Cooper is smart enough to realize that. The five people who were nominated for the award are more than deserving and it just so happens that Cooper probably ranked at #6 or #7 this year. Not bad at all.
The Oscars telecast will air on February 24.