Why Bradley Cooper's Dog Charlie Is the Real Scene-Stealer of 'A Star is Born' (Exclusive)

A star was born when Charlie walked onto that movie set.

A star was born when Charlie walked onto that movie set. 

The world can't stop talking about A Star is Born, and yes, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper give incredible performances -- but so does his dog. 

The 43-year-old actor's real-life dog, Charlie, plays his movie dog, also named Charlie, in the film. And as Cooper told ET, it was never even a consideration to give another dog the role. 

"You know, I never even thought about any other dog but him," the actor told ET at the film's premiere last month. "But you have to jump through a lot of hoops to be able to do that." 

Charlie, who steals the show in one of the movie's most heartbreaking scenes, has already won his owner an award. PETA honored Cooper with the inaugural Compassion in Film Award for casting his own dog, rather than using one from a potentially questionable animal handler. 

The goldendoodle, who is named after Cooper's late father, Charles Cooper, also won over his co-star, Lady Gaga. "Yes, we were always playing with Charlie!" she gushed to ET. 

"That's the best thing about being able to make a movie, is you get to cast the movie," Cooper said. 

A Star is Born is in theaters now. 

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