Full Interview: Lady Gaga Talks To Stephen Colbert

what I wanted to say at that moment, that's what I'm saying, that's what it takes discipline to challenge yourself like that, well, and also you know, maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker, but you know if you tell me to do zigzag, I'm going to zag and if you tell me to yin, I'm going to yang, so you know that's always how I've known that, in my own way, I kept my sense of authenticity within me, is that if Someone told me to turn to the right, I was taking a sharp left turn, sorry, no, it's good, it's good, it's late at night, right, the movie is really complex and doesn't require many easy decisions.

There are three minutes after the start. movie I thought, oh, there's something really special about this movie and two hours later I thought, oh no, you were wrong, there's everything really special about this movie. I started to get nervous because like you guys could ruin it somehow, it was like watching someone throw a no-hitter like oh god, don't say anything because, without being indulgent, it gives all the characters all the time in the world to relating to each other, leaving the camera focused on people to express their inner emotions, the performances are incredible, of course they are. and bradley cooper but our guest tomorrow night sam elliott amazing performance playing bradley cooper's older brother um there's a 10 minute scene in the middle um uh with dave chappelle oh yeah dave is amazing and and and the one that shouldn't have surprised me but what i did is that uh, it's andrew says clay oh yeah, it's a perfect cartoon, it could have been a cartoon, but it's absolutely true, it couldn't have been more perfect, it felt like I was talking to my dad in the kitchen, I want say, and he is so wonderful.

I mean the whole cast, Anthony Ramos too, who plays my best friend, you know, everyone was so wonderful and you know, and Bradley, you know, he's a great editor too, I mean, he's a masterful editor, just so people know that this is his first film. This is his first film, which is one of the things I admire and it's infuriating. Just walking out the door with this movie is really shocking, but I think the generosity of the stories you know persist with each of these characters. You know, it's really special and you know, I think I have to hand it to my man Bradley for that.

You know, he's incredibly, really amazing. The film is about many things. It is a love story. It's about creativity, but it also ends. In dealing with fame and an artist's relationship with the audience, you have a very intimate relationship and substance abuse and substance abuse and addiction and what that can do in your attempt to save someone who has an addiction. to substances. Did you ever feel? that you need to be authentic with your audience but do you ever feel like you have to hold something back for fear of losing yourself in their expectations of you, well I've felt that way for a long time and then I see my big face on that movie screen without makeup on my natural hair color and I'm like, oh, I just gave it away, I mean, you know, I've always liked shapeshifting, well that's what I wanted to ask you.

Is that why it feels like being so naked? It's just you, big close-ups, no makeup, like you said, your own natural hair, um, when so many people came to know you for um, uh, elaborate costumes that could border on masks or even armor, what's it like? Did it ever feel like armor to protect you from the public? Yeah, I think in my own way I absolutely, I mean, I'm like I always wonder who I am, you know. of an enigma to myself that's the name of my show in las vegas uh for the residency I'm doing it's called enigma you're doing two shows right you're doing enigma and then enigma and then a night of jazz and piano uh also when does it start that?

That starts in December. Could I get a ticket? Yeah, but you know, the thing is, you know me without makeup and with my natural hair. Actually, that's not me, so this is me, you know, so it's ally. oh, but it's your hair and your face, yeah, but it's not necessarily the way I want to dress or the way I want to walk or the way I want to be, so I really had to get into that and I changed my hair. and I took off my makeup months before filming the movie because I had to get into character and I had to get used to it and it was actually kind of liberating because no one knew who I was, Barbara Streisand, who made the 1976 movie, uh a.

The star was born and this isn't really a remake, it's a different story, but certainly she and Chris Kristofferson are famous for it. She gave them a blessing and here's a photo of you two together right there. I was at her house that's at her house I was at her house yeah, she invited me to dinner and to a nice house, I guess, a beautiful house and we took that photo together, it was really fun and she also came to the set, which was amazing and They had already started, um, Jay had already started editing the movie, uh, with Bradley, and she watched a little bit and it was really amazing, she gave like a speech and I was crying and it was a disaster where you cry very well . this movie you cried beauti

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y in this movie oh well those are real tears I think so I think real tears what do you do with what do you do to relax at the end of the day? because the movie that we've talked about is quite intense about some tragic things in this movie, I want people to know that I left happy, I left happy because of the beauty of the movie, it's sad, but everything you know, I think J.R Tolkien said that only sad stories are happy and and and and This is a really happy story for me because it's so inspiring.

Thank you. How can I relax? How do you clean yourself at the end of the day? I drink a glass of wine and cry as if I had been reading my diary. You like clear wine less, oh thank you sir, you are like you said, you are a native New Yorker, where did you go to school? I went to Sacred Heart oh my mom was a Sacred Heart girl cheers there you go I was supposed to go wait was uh was was do you have to learn French because Sacred Heart girls have to learn French normally I took French yeah mm -hmm francaise di um, you got, you got uh I like things like uh uh and don't you notice those those little scores at the end of the week um no, they were numbers, there were numbers, well, when my mom was a little girl and it's a little older than you um uh, it was all all the demerits, I'm 100.

She must be old um you've been an outspoken activist um for women and for the lgbtq community what are you? Are you okay talking about politics? Are you okay because some guys don't want to talk about it? What are you doing? How do you handle it? with the other thing aside from the wine, how do you handle the current political environment at the moment that we're in because a lot of people are very upset on both sides, very angry, you know, when it comes to political matters with you, I'm going to Come on, go ahead because what I've seen on the news with this debate between Kavanaugh and Dr.

Ford is one of the most disturbing things I've ever witnessed, it's heartbreaking, but I'll tell you what because I'm a survivor of sexual assault and the truth is you know Trump the other day was speaking at a rally and he said that she doesn't remember how she got to the party, you know, we have to trust that she remembers the assault and the answer is yes and I'll tell you that. why I will tell you I will tell you exactly why and I also know that this woman is intelligent because she is a psychologist, she is not stupid if someone is attacked or suffers a trauma, there is science and scientific evidence, it is biology, people change, the brain changes and Literally what it does is it takes the trauma and it puts it in a box and it files it away and it closes it so that we can survive the pain and it also does a lot of other things that can cause bodily pain, you know.

Basal elevations and anxiety can cause you to completely avoid the desire to remember or think about what happened to you, but what I think I've seen is that when this woman saw that Judge Kavanaugh would possibly be put in the highest position of power . in the judicial system of this country she was activated and that box was opened and when that box was opened she was brave enough to share it with the world to protect this country thank you for being here it was a pleasure meeting you I have admired your talent for so many years but you for inviting me I am so uh I wish you had seen what I have seen but it is a beautiful performance congratulations on your film debut a star is truly born thank you very much for being here thank you You a star is born, tomorrow in theaters Lady Gaga.

Everyone, we'll be back.