There’s a lot to be blindsided by in the new trailer, but the most surprising aspect? Lady Gaga is unrecognizable in A Star Is Born, if the newly released footage is any indication. The clip went live on Wednesday, and the pop icon looked so different in the trailer than she does on the red carpet that it had even diehard fans doing double-takes on social media. Combine her incognito appearance with the fact that Gaga seems to be singing a brand-new original song in the trailer, and you’d be forgiven for not noticing one single other thing about the teaser. (Bradley Cooper, who?)
The trailer is only two-and-a-half minutes long, but Gaga doesn’t appear until around 40 seconds in. The camera follows behind her as she steps onstage, silhouetted in light. But even the first glimpse of her face doesn’t scream “Lady Gaga.” The singer-turned-actor plays Ally, an up-and-coming performer who’s noticed by country star Jackson Maine, played by Cooper, and in this first shot of her onstage, Ally has her hair pinned up and thin eyebrows painted on. Especially under the red lights of that scene, you’d be hard-pressed to identify the actor in question, but it doesn’t get much easier in later scenes.
This is the Joanne singer’s first leading role, and she’s all but disappeared into it. Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, has replaced her signature elaborate hairstyles in shocking, high-contrast colors with muted brunette locks, and replaced her bold makeup choices with a fresh face.
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They’re decisions that not only help the A-lister blend into the role, but also play directly into the way it’s been written. When Gaga’s Ally tells Cooper’s Jackson that she doesn’t sing…
