Eddie Vedder has revealed the advice he gave to Bradley Cooper when the actor was preparing for his role as Jackson Maine in 2018’s A Star Is Born. Ahead of shooting, Cooper spent some time hanging out with Vedder, observing him in order to get in character and accurately portray a “bona fide rock star” for the film.
In a new interview with Howard Stern, Vedder has discussed the process and revealed some of the advice he gave the actor ahead of his Oscar-nominated performance.
“We just hung out for a couple days and he asked me a few questions, and I told him things like, you know, ‘Make sure your guitar covers your balls at all times’,” Vedder commented, prompting Stern to ask why that was an important lesson.
“Well, I think sometimes the guitar gets a little high, it looks more like a bib.”
The Pearl Jam frontman also told Cooper he had some trepidation about him being able to realistically capture what being a musician was like, telling the actor: “There’s a few movies out there on surfing, a few movies on rock and roll. None of them get it right… I don’t think anyone can pull it off. It’s not that you can’t… But I would really think this through.”
Vedder went on to say that despite his fears, he was incredibly impressed the first time he saw the film.
“I tell you, when I saw it, I was just fucking blown away. It just took me there, and what he can do with his eyes, what they [Cooper and Lady Gaga] did together… It just took me there.”
Watch the segment below.
