Barbra Streisand Says She Would Have Preferred Beyoncé and Will Smith in 'A Star Is Born' Remake

Barbra Streisand thinks Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's 2018 rendition of A Star Is Born was the "wrong idea." In a new interview with The Sunday Project, Streisand shared what she had hoped for the Oscar-winning film, including seeing Will Smith and Beyoncé at the helm.

"At first, when I heard it was going to be done again, it was supposed to be Will Smith and Beyoncé, and I thought, that's interesting. Really make it different again, different kind of music, integrated actors, I thought that was a great idea," Streisand shared of the once-rumored casting. "So, I was surprised when I saw how alike it was to the version that I did in 1976."

While the 79-year-old singer applauded the film's success, she revealed that she would've preferred to see an original film over the box office success that the latest rendition garnered.

"I don’t know. I thought it was the wrong idea," she admitted. "But hey, look, it was a big success, and I can’t argue with success but I don't care about so much success as I do originality."

In a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Streisand had shared a similar sentiment about the film, highlighting the great similarities to it and her 1976 rendition.

"I haven’t seen it completed. Bradley did show me the opening," Streisand, who starred opposite Kris Kristofferson in the role Cooper embodied in the recent reimagining, told the Times. "I was surprised by how similar it was to my version."

Late filmmaker Frank Pierson directed Streisand's version, while the latest take on the story served as Cooper's directorial debut. Despite the similarities between the different interpretations, Streisand had a lot of praise for some of the unique aspects that Cooper managed to add to the film.

"I loved how he used the drag bar," Streisand reflected, referring to the scene, early in the film, where Cooper's character, grizzled country star Jackson Maine, first discovers Gaga's character, aspiring singer Ally Campana. "I thought that was new and interesting."

"What I’ve seen of the film, I really liked," Streisand said at the time.

Streisand echoed more of the same when ET spoke with the star that September, where she had nothing but praise for the project and revealed that she'd even been on set during some of the production.

"I think Lady Gaga is great casting. I think Bradley Cooper is a wonderful director and he made a really good film," Streisand marveled.

For more on the movie, watch the video below.

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