Lady Gaga Has Only Just Begun: A Star Ascends in Film and Life

by SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD

     Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in March 1986, makes it crystal clear in myriad interviews that she and Ally, the part she has brought to triumphant acclaim in the 2018 rendition of A Star Is Born, have absolutely nothing in common. Contrasting her strength, determination—a sexual abuse survivor  who “believed in myself” and could be found “banging down every door”—to Ally’s  reticence and world weariness, Gaga insists she merely plays a part. But I cannot help but wonder if the Lady protests too much. Please read on…..

     A Star Is Born has a long history, as well as an inauthentic title:  no star was born through this film—Janet Gaynor (1937), Judy Garland (1954), and Barbra Streisand (1976) were household names when they accepted their roles in previous versions of this timeless story. I have only seen snippets of Gaynor, but even though I was thoroughly engrossed in each of the other versions, I never forgot who the actors were.  Gaga, however, was completely forgotten in her transformation as Ally, a not-to-be-missed role in a not-to-be-missed film.

     To be fair, I had never before seen the unadorned Gaga. To better understand who she is inside, I watched her 2017 documentary (which she wrote and produced) focusing on her day-to-day life as she prepared for various performances, culminating in her 2017 Super Bowl extravaganza. Here, devoid of makeup and often disheveled, she revealed a devotion to family, deep vulnerability, relentless pain throughout her body brought on by a hip fracture causing nerves to go haywire, the fear that because of this accident, she will never be able to carry a child, and overwhelming loneliness.

     We learn of three lost loves that have left her devastated. She blames this abandonment on her success, but does not consider that perhaps she is picking men who do not love her (who perhaps have used her) and who are entirely unable to support her expressed yearning—“to become a woman…and grow up.”      

     Further study showed Gaga has studied music and theatre from her earliest years, often felt isolated—like an “outcast” and “freak”—during her teens, has openly discussed her depression, always yearned to act, but turned to music because she froze in theatre auditions.  This disappointment led to the realization that she could pour all of her talent into “her entrance”—in order, I believe, to insist we notice her (and love her!), she made us GaGa—and became an enormously skilled performance artist. 

     But there is more:  In 2011, Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, established the Harvard-based Born This Way Foundation, whose mission is the creation of a “braver, kinder world for youths,” which “protects and nurtures” all children, regardless of their sexual orientation, from “bullying and abandonment.”  Gaga’s activism is relentless, from supporting gay rights, to necessary gun legislation, to addressing the epidemics of suicide and sexual abuse, and lauding the truths of Christine Blasey Ford.      

     The artist let her voice, not her costuming or entrances, take center stage when performing and recording with the legendary Tony Bennett.  (For his 90^th birthday celebration, she implored him in song, “I Want Your Love.”)  This passionate expression progressed after the multitalented Bradley Cooper heard Gaga sing “La Vie en Rose” at a benefit and was captivated. 

     The rest is history for the artist’s big screen debut in A Star Is Born as a singer devoid of confidence performing weekly in a gay bar when the drunk country-rocker (Jackson Maine, played by Cooper) stumbles in one night to find magic. Cooper co-wrote, contributed to song creation, produced, and made his directorial debut in Star. Committed to the authenticity of his work, Cooper spent months in training to transform his speaking voice, lowering it an entire octave. The significance of this transformation becomes apparent as the story unfolds. Further, he devoted himself to the new pursuit of singing and guitar, and at Gaga’s insistence, their story and song were interwoven and unbroken during filming. They now describe themselves as “friends for life.” 

     I would be remiss if I did not highlight superb performances of Sam Elliot (Jackson’s pained and devoted brother), Andrew Dice Clay (Ally’s loyal and loving dad—where they live is not clear—a Brooklyn accent, with a Jersey feel—but could be LA), Anthony Ramos (Ally’s forever friend), Dave Chappelle (Jackson’s unwavering friend), and Rafi Gavron (Ally’s manager)—who you will long to punch out.

     Star is a terrific film to discuss with clients; it addresses many challenges both in our lives and theirs: How can one break the grasp of addiction?  How do marriages survive when one is totally invested in ambition, to the cost of everything else? Can one driven to succeed lessen ambition for the good, perhaps the survival, of a relationship?  In what ways does the success of a woman threaten the man she loves?  Is it possible for one to rescue another from self-destruction?  What power does a third party hold that can destroy an intense, devoted love?  What is the importance of authenticity in marriage?

     Lady Gaga’s friend, Brendan Jay Sullivan, who wrote the 2013 memoir Rivington Was Ours:  Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives, tells us admiringly: “The Gaga you see now with the hair and the Gucci dress on the red carpet…(is) who she really is.  That’s who she was all along.” But from her performance in Star, her documentary, her post performance interviews, and her sincerely expressed wish to grow up and become a woman, I have my doubts that this is all Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is.  At 32 years of age, it seems to me that much of her journey has only just begun. 

SaraKay Smullens, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, CGP, CFLE, BCD, whose private and pro bono clinical social work practice is in Philadelphia, is a certified group psychotherapist and family life educator. She is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of NASW, and the 2013 NASW Media Award for Best Article. SaraKay is the author of Whoever Said Life Is Fair, Setting YourSelf Free, and Burnout and Self-Care in Social Work. Her writing has been published in peer-reviewed journals, newspapers, and blogs. SaraKay's professional life continues to be devoted to highlighting destructive societal forces through communication, advocacy, and activism. Read more about her work at SaraKaySmullens.com.