“It means the world to me,” Bradley Cooper said when Lady Gaga — his costar in 2018’s A Star Is Born — arrived at the L.A. premiere of his latest film, the Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro.
“I’m really excited for her to see the movie. She’s a dear friend, and we went through such an incredible experience together, so you just want to share the art with each other.” But when the singer hit the red carpet, “she seemed off,” an observer exclusively tells In Touch. “She was inserting herself into photos with Bradley and [his Maestro co-star] Carey Mulligan as if Gaga were a part of the film. People looked shocked, and Carey seemed confused.”
Apparently she’s not the only one who’s perplexed by Gaga’s recent behavior. While the Oscar and Grammy winner, 37, “has always been eccentric,” says a source, “some people close to her say she seems different in recent months, almost as if she’s had a secret breakdown. She’s pulled away from friends and has been spending most of her time alone when she’s not with her boyfriend, Michael Polansky.” Gaga and the tech entrepreneur, who started dating four years ago, had broken up briefly, “but are now back together,” adds the source. “But the relationship is mercurial.”
Insecurity also seems to have crept in. Gaga has been toggling between music and acting and supporting her beauty brand, Haus Labs, but not at her usual driven pace. “Several months ago, Gaga confessed to a friend that she felt a bit lost in her career,” says the source. “She’s been so successful in all of her endeavors, but she’s felt a little lost in the landscape of the music industry lately.”
Gaga’s last solo album came out back in 2020, and she hasn’t toured since 2022. Meanwhile, former collaborator Beyoncé as well as Taylor Swift have both released wildly successful concert films based on epic 2023 world tours. “Gaga was very close to Beyoncé for many years, and Gaga felt unsure of her identity, with Beyoncé and Taylor’s mega-tours gaining so much attention,” says the source, who predicts that Gaga, who also continues to cope with fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues, “is probably trying to find her footing again.”
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In 2024, she’ll return as an actress. After starring in 2021’s House of Gucci, she’ll appear as Harley Quinn alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux, which hits theaters in the fall. “Gaga isn’t going anywhere,” says the source. “While she might have some things she’s figuring out, she’s also probably doing what she does best — reinventing herself.”
