Neko Case’s Blunt Take on Bradley Cooper’s Oscar Ambitions
Neko Case, the acclaimed singer-songwriter, didn’t hold back her harsh opinion of Bradley Cooper and his film 'A Star Is Born,' making her feelings public after an early screening in 2018.
There aren’t many in the film industry who seem as determined to nab an Oscar as Bradley Cooper. The bloke’s been chasing that golden statue for years, racking up nomination after nomination, but the win keeps slipping through his fingers. It’s almost become a running joke—he’s inching closer to breaking the record for most nominations without a win at the Academy Awards. Greg P Russell was on track to claim that title, having been nominated 17 times before being disqualified for breaking the rules. Now, he’s tied with Diane Warren, both sitting at zero-for-16, though Warren did get an honorary award in 2022. Cooper, meanwhile, has managed a dozen nods across five different categories in just over a decade. If he keeps this up, he could soon be the unluckiest nominee in Oscar history.
Whenever Cooper’s name pops up as director, punters start expecting a film that’s clearly gunning for awards. That’s not to say his projects—like A Star Is Born, Maestro, or Is This Thing On?—are duds, but there’s a certain expectation of prestige attached to anything he touches. His first go at directing, a fresh take on a well-worn story, was a hit with critics and at the box office, and it cleaned up during awards season in 2018. Still, not everyone was impressed. Most in the music scene seemed to get behind it, but there’s always an exception to the rule.
Neko Case’s Unfiltered Reaction
Enter Neko Case. With a career spanning three decades, both solo and with the New Pornographers, she’s no stranger to the industry. But when it came to A Star Is Born, she wasn’t having a bar of it—or, more specifically, she wasn’t having a bar of Cooper himself. After catching an early screening in September 2018, Case took to social media to share her thoughts, and she didn’t mince words.
“I want to vomit into Bradley Cooper’s dewy man-child eyes,”
she posted, following up with a blunt,
“Fuck. Off.”
Her criticism didn’t stop there. She went on to say,
“Bradley Cooper is the beige demon who makes sure very standard white dudes get to be in everything.”
She didn’t hold back, describing his acting style as turning scenes into
“damp sugar quicksand with his treacly fingers,”
and accusing him of convincing audiences that his
“vile incantations are him speaking some adorable French.”
Case even joked about being ready for a scrap, saying,
“I will fight him”
if she ever got the chance. So far, that showdown hasn’t happened, and it’s a fair bet she wasn’t swayed by his later films either.