Oscar-nominated actress and musician Lady Gaga has addressed the Academy Awards' surprise snub of co-star Bradley Cooper for Best Director in the sweetest way possible.
Gaga, 32, and Cooper, 44, were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor the musical romance A Star Is Born - which also picked up a nod for Best Picture - when the nominees were announced in Los Angeles on Tuesday 22nd January.
But critics and fans were surprised to see Cooper omitted from the Best Director list. Gaga, however, praised her co-star and said he was 'the best director in my eyes'.
Speaking to the LA Times after the announcements, the 'Shallow' singer said: "At the end of the day, he knows that he's the best director in my eyes, and in all of our eyes as his cast. I know that he's so happy that we've all been nominated and that the film was recognized and we all feel really, really beyond elated for the recognition."
Gaga's admiration of Cooper for his directing in A Star Is Born is well known - and her repeated use of the phrase, 'There can be 100 people in a room and 99 of them don't believe in you but all it takes is one and it just changes your whole life...' on red carpets and in press interviews took on a meme life of its own, spawning hilarious spoofs and even a shout out at the Golden Globes.
In the interview, Gaga also explained how much the Academy Awards mean to her. "There's really no award that is more esteemed than the Oscar in acting, and for music, it is also extremely special," she said.
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"Since I was a little girl, I always admired all of the artists that put in so much hard work and passion into filmmaking. Watching the award shows, I used to cry with them. It was always like I felt like I was them, even though I wasn't there. It was always a big deal with my family."
The nominees for Best Director this year are Alfonso Cuaron (Roma), Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite), Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), Adam McKay (Vice) and Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War).
The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday 24th February 2019.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Lady Gaga, Celebrity News, TV News