Bradley Cooper Talks About The ‘Miracle’ Of Fatherhood Ahead Of ‘A Star Is Born’ Release

Actor Bradley Cooper opened up about his experience as a father during an interview with NPR on Friday, reports E! News. He and Irina Shayk welcomed their baby daughter, Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper, in March 2017 and Cooper reveals that fatherhood has made him more “present” in his life.

The actor-director is anxiously awaiting the release of his newest project, A Star Is Born, alongside popular artist Lady Gaga. Cooper talked about his motivation for the film and how fatherhood has changed his outlook on life.

“Well, I’ve been opened up to a world of children’s music, that’s for sure. I spent about 15 years going from movie to movie to movie. And then I hit 39 and I stopped and I said, ‘What do I really want to do?’ I want to tell Joseph Merrick’s story in The Elephant Man. So I did that for a year.”

Cooper went on to talk about his inspiration for A Star Is Born and how his dream to create the movie came alongside the fulfillment of his dream to have a family of his own.

“Then this story came to me, A Star Is Born, and then I spent the next four years doing that. And the one thing that I know in the future is: It’s worth all the time to dedicate, even if one piece of art comes out of it in a half a decade, that would still be incredible as long as I can feel like it’s the movie I wanted to make, which is this movie. So I guess having a child, and having a family of my own — which is a miracle and something I’ve always dreamt of — has opened me up even more, I guess, to the day, and to be present.”

The actor went on to talk about his father, Charles Cooper, who died from cancer in 2011, and his own childhood, reflecting on their bond and how he continues to keep their connection alive.

“In terms of this story being personal, a lot of it has to do with my father. My dad works his way into my life every day…But there’s a lot of things in the movie that no one else would know, but they were little things that I did, created, in order to keep my father close, one of them being that our dog in the movie’s name is Charlie, which is my father’s name.”

The Silver Linings Playbook actor commented on how much he loved working with Lady Gaga on the project. He said that he felt an instant connection with the singer because of how much they were loved as children.

“And when I meet people that have had that similar upbringing, I can just see it in them. And that’s the thing I want my daughter to have — I just always want her to feel loved,” he told NPR.

A Star Is Born is set to hit theaters on October 5 and tells the story of musician Jackson Maine (Cooper) who falls in love with struggling artist Ally (Gaga), who is about to give up on her dream to be a star. However, as Jackson helps Ally launch her career and they build a romantic relationship, his own internal demons come back to haunt him.