Beyoncé Almost Played Lady Gaga’s Role in ‘A Star Is Born’

The 2018 remake of A Star Is Born almost looked completely different. Before Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper signed on to star as the film leads, Beyoncé was considered for the role of Ally while a handful of male actors were eyed to play Jackson Maine.

So why didn’t the Queen Bey star as the female lead in one of her favorite films? Keep on reading to find out.

Beyoncé was eyed to play Ally in the 2018 musical drama

The Queen Bey may be an incomparable singer, but she’s also a very talented actress who has been considered to star in films many of us would have never suspected.

One of those movies happens to be A Star Is Born, which Beyoncé was onboard to join before various life changes got in the way.

The “Formation” singer had long been rumored as the possible star of the A Star Is Born remake, an acclaimed musical drama which follows Jackson, a rock star who is battling personal demons and Ally — a waitress, and struggling musician.

It turns out that Bey, along with Alicia Keys and Rihanna, were considered for the role of Ally while Will Smith was eyed to play Jackson.

According to sources, Smith had been discussing the film since 2002 with Jennifer Lopez considered to play his love interest. However, after director Nick Cassavetes dropped out of the project in January 2011, actor Clint Eastwood was tapped to direct, and Beyoncé was the top choice for film’s female lead.

In July of that year, Bey revealed during an interview that she’d met Eastwood and that she was officially on board to join the upcoming remake. “I didn’t think I would ever get the opportunity to be the star,” she said. “I met with Clint and I was so nervous, and I know that it is the biggest opportunity of my life.”

Around that time, there was still no male lead, but a handful of Hollywood actors were being considered for the part, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale.

Beyoncé ended up backing out due to scheduling conflicts

A month after Beyoncé revealed that she had signed on for the movie, she memorably announced her first pregnancy while performing at that year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

Because of this, Warner Bros. pushed back the start date for filming since they had initially planned to kick things off in February 2012. During the delay, casting directors considered actors like Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, and Eminem to star as the film’s male lead.

Eastwood even brought up the role to Bradley Cooper, who had initially turned down the part because, at the time, he didn’t feel he had enough life experience to play Jackson Maine.

He told The New York Times in 2018, “I knew I would be acting my balls off to try to be what that character was, because I was just too — I just hadn’t lived enough, I just knew it.”

After spending months getting nowhere, Eastwood exited the project. In October 2012, Beyoncé also bowed out of the film to focus on her family and because of scheduling conflicts.

Lady Gaga landed the role of Ally in 2016

After Eastwood and Beyoncé back out of A Star Is Born, the film remained in limbo for three years until Cooper reconsidered taking on the role of Jackson.

Following his father’s death, the actor felt ready to play the part, and he signed on to direct and star in the movie in March 2015.

A little more than a year later, Gaga was announced to play Ally, two months after she was in talks to star as the female lead.

With the project having its stars, filming got underway and the movie was officially released in October 2018. It didn’t take long for the film to become a box office hit, raking in $15.8 million on its opening night in the United States and Canada.

Viewers loved everything about the film: the romance, the music, especially Gaga and Cooper’s undeniable on-screen connection.

A Star Is Born has gone on to acquire several awards and nominations, including five nominations at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and eight nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, where it won Best Original Song for Cooper and Gaga’s ballad “Shallow.”

While Cooper and Gaga did a fantastic job starring as Jackson and Ally in the film, we wonder how different the story would have been had Beyoncé remained onboard?

One thing’s for sure; theaters would have been filled with members of the Beyhive instead of Little Monsters.