Bradley Cooper was warned. Friends discouraged the American Sniper star from choosing A Star Is Born as his directorial debut. Aside from it being one of a handful of takes on the tragic romance, the project had stalled for years in Hollywood, attracting directors and stars like Clint Eastwood and Beyoncé, respectively. “I had a lot of people tell me, ‘Please don’t do this’ — people I respect and who care about me,” says Cooper, 43, on a hot afternoon in the Hollywood Hills while being interviewed for this week’s cover of Entertainment Weekly.