Bradley Cooper Removed Lady Gaga's Makeup for A Star is Born Audition

If the early reviews that have been circulating are any indication, A Star is Born is going to show a completely new side of Lady Gaga, one that director and co-star Bradley Cooper started unearthing as far back as her audition. A new piece by the Los Angeles Times describes how Cooper showed up at the pop star's Los Angeles home for her screen test -- apparently Warner Bros. was hesitant about casting her -- and immediately took a makeup wipe to her face.

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"With it, he erased the colors from her forehead down to her chin," says the Times piece, which leaves me thinking about the "Applause" single cover art. Cooper wanted his potential leading lady "completely open. No artifice." According to Mother Monster, the trick worked. "It put me right in the place I needed to be, because when my character talks about how ugly she feels -- that was real," she said. "I'm so insecure. I like to preach, but I don't always practice what I preach." From that point on, Gaga would often shoot in nothing more than chapstick and moisturizer -- a relatable legend!