Here's How Barbra Streisand Really Feels About The 2018 Remake Of A Star Is Born
When "A Star is Born" hit theaters in 2018, audiences were blown away. Lady Gaga, previously known best as a talented pop singer with a penchant for outlandish outfits, wowed the world with her acting abilities, earning a Best Actress nomination at the 2019 Academy Awards.
However, this wasn't the first time a popular musician took the role of the normal-girl-turned-megastar. "A Star is Born" was first made in 1937, with actress Janet Gaynor as the lead. The story was then adapted in 1954 with Judy Garland, and another time in 1976, with Barbara Streisand in the star role.
Of course, like any remake (or re-re-remake, in this case), actors from the original version have some choice thoughts on the latest adaption. Streisand recently came out with some words on 2018's "A Star is Born." Unfortunately for Gaga and her co-star and director Bradley Cooper, they aren't exactly words of approval.
Barbara Streisand didn't think the 2018 adaptation was very original
In a recent interview on Australian talk show The Sunday Project, Barbara Streisand gave her thoughts on 2018's "A Star is Born."
"I thought it was the wrong idea," she said (via Deadline). "Look, it was a big success. I can't argue with success. But I don't care so much about success as I do originality."
When Streisand joined the 1976 version of the film, she made a clear effort to differentiate it as much as she could from the 1956 adaptation. She explained, "When I did 'A Star Is Born' ... Judy Garland was so great in it, I thought, 'Oh my God, how am I going to do this? I have to change it," Streisand recalled. "I'll become a guitar-playing singer-songwriter, and [co-lead] Kris Kristofferson is already a singer-songwriter, and we'll change the story a bit," she elaborated.
In 2018's version, both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's characters are singer-songwriters as well, with Streisand saying, "I was surprised when I saw how alike it was to the version that I did in 1976."
However, the similar formula seemed to work. "A Star is Born" swept up many accolades in the 2019 awards season, and currently holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Maybe another few decades from now, we'll get a fifth version of the classic tale with a more unique premise — but until then, we'll have "Shallow" on repeat.