A body language expert has weighed in on the Bradley Cooper-Lady Gaga-Irina Shayk Oscars fiasco
Last night's Oscars ceremony was certainly a night to remember. Nothing got people talking more than Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and Irina Shayk. On the red carpet, Cooper and Russian supermodel Shayk, who have been together since 2015 and share a daughter Lea together, were joined by Cooper's mother, Gloria Campano, before heading into the ceremony, where A Star Is Bron was nominated in a whopping 8 categories, including Best Picture and Best Original Song.
During the night, not only did Cooper's mother Gloria get a personal shoutout from Julia Roberts (which we can only assume was more exciting than her son's film achievements on the night), but Cooper also joined Gaga onstage for a (very) sultry performance of 'Shallow' from the film. The performance got people talking, and couldn't help but wonder how Shayk was feeling about the whole situation.
Marie Claire US spoke to body language expert Patti Wood, author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma, about her opinion of one of Hollywood's most intriguing couples.
Wood observed that this is a different situation than it would be if it were just Cooper and Shayk on the red carpet."You typically don't see couples with the guy's mother, and you don't see [mum and partner] being on the same plane," Wood explains. "If you look at their feet, he's not standing closer to [Irina] or closer to his mum, showing no favouritism between them. And sometimes, he has one foot slightly angled a little towards his mother, or a little more towards his wife." Cooper is known to be close to his mum, who lives with both he and Shayk in their New York City apartment.
"His hand-hold on each of them are equally as tight, and his fingers are intertwined in an equal way, so his hand hold is equitable," Wood continues. "He's showing a lot of nervousness and anxiety in that hand-hold, by the stiffness and the outer-reaching of the hand."
Wood also gave insight into the relationship between Gaga and Cooper during their performance of 'Shallow'. She explained that the dynamic between Gaga and Bradley on stage was vastly different than the one between Cooper and Shayk. "It was so hot", she says. What it comes down to is a difference in relationship dynamics, though. "This is affection, this is having fun, it's very different. The song was a performance, but it was an extended performance, and he knew all the right things to do."
Following the two's performance, the Internet couldn't help but poke fun at and claim the pair were 'in love'. There's no denying Cooper and Gaga have chemistry. As Ally and Jackson, the undeniable pair created a performance that was show-stopping, electric and utterly captivating. From our very first introduction to the country duo in A Star Is Born, we're caught up in the whirlwind lives that categorise these two lovers. But, when the cameras stopped rolling, the Internet became obsessed with the real-life pair - and it needs to stop.
Since Gaga and Cooper's press circuit began, the two have become somewhat of the world's 'Couple Goals', despite Cooper having been in a happy relationship with Shayk since 2015.
Off-screen, whether it be on the red carpet, in an interview setting, or onstage in Vegas, Cooper and Gaga continued to fuel the fantasy of themselves as a real-life couple. Gaga even found online virality after endlessly admiring Cooper (who could forget the 'hundred people in the room' spiel) while he has called her a 'beautiful human being' and 'god-given talent unlike anyone else.'
On paper, they appear to be Hollywood's Golden Couple. For months, fans have berated the pair to bring their on-screen romance to fruition.
But alas, Hollywood doesn't have a gleaming history of fidelity.
In 1963, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton made the art of cheating seem somewhat romantic. Meeting on the set of Cleopatra, Burton and Taylor fell in love, despite both being married at the time (Burton to actress Sybil Williams and Taylor to Eddie Fisher). They left their respective spouses and wed a year later, only to divorce, get back together and divorce again.
In 2005, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt starred alongside each other in the Doug Liman thriller Mr & Mrs Smith, and fell helplessly in love. Brad eventually left his wife Jennifer Aniston for Jolie. The two later wed and went on to share six children, only to announce their separation in 2016.
It's important to note, none of the above examples lasted.
In Brad and Angelina's case, the entire world took animosity on Jen's behalf. But, in Cooper and Gaga's case, the public seems to be almost fanatical in its intensity for the two to engage in an affair. The public would be naive to assume its persistence wouldn't have an effect on the actor's real-world relationship.
Although, it would be naive of me to suggest Gaga and Cooper aren't fuelling the fantasy in a mere act in itself - boosting the popularity and cult-status of Cooper's film A Star Is Born.
Cooper's adaption invites the audience to feel like we’re not just watching scenes but hanging out in them, right along with the characters, sharing their space and emotions, which we can't help, in turn, relate to the actor's real selves. What should be taken out of this, is respect for the pair bringing to life two characters who convinced us so whole-heartedly of their love that we can't help but pour it into the real world.
But, let's not unfairly punish Cooper and Gaga's personal lives for the sake of a happy ending for Jackson and Ally.
Watch below... Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform “Shallow” live at the 2019 Oscars:
