The Meaning Behind Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga's Hair In A Star Is Born

In a 1976 review of the second remake of A Star Is Born, starring Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand, film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "There's just no way, after all the times we've seen Streisand... for us to accept her as a kid on the way up." Ebert goes on, detailing exactly how despite the plot, movie makeup, and a lineage of two other eponymous films that came before it, the audience just couldn't possibly buy Streisand — an Academy Award winner — as a struggling singer. While some may have feared the same would've been the case for both Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in the fourth version of the same film, we're here to tell you there's nothing to worry about.

After racking up 11 million views on its YouTube trailer, Cooper's directorial debut for A Star Is Born has officially sent perpetual chills down our spines. In the first few seconds of the preview clip, Cooper sings as Jackson Maine, the rock 'n' roll superstar soon caught up in a love story with undiscovered singer-songwriter Ally. He's sweaty, dirty, sexy, and probably hungover — and that's not something we discover because he tells us; we know it by just looking at him. "That was my goal," Lori McCoy-Bell, hair department head for the film, exclusively tells us. "I was striving for authenticity, for something you could identify with immediately."

Maine is, for all intents and purposes, dealing with addiction — or at least someone who is dealing with substance abuse. He's also a rockstar and in love with someone who, quickly, finds the kind of fame he is simultaneously losing. And while the script and award-worthy acting will tell you that, it's also the hair and makeup that convinces you of the story itself. So, we spoke with McCoy-Bell to tell us everything we need to know before sitting down to cry watch A Star Is Born. Keep reading to get the scoop on all the behind-the-scenes details on Cooper's tale-telling hair and Gaga's multiple dye jobs on-screen.