TORONTO -- Viewers will likely be searching for parallels between Lady Gaga and the pop star she plays in the upcoming film "A Star is Born," and the singer says there's at least one -- they both were criticized for their looks by powerful people in the music industry.
"I had a record executive suggest I get a nose job," she remembered while discussing the film, which screens at the Toronto International Film Festival.
"(It was) before my first single came out and before we shot the video -- and I said no."
A similar experience becomes a pivotal emotional arc in the opening scenes of "A Star is Born."
In the movie she plays Ally, a gifted singer who has all but thrown away her ambitions for a music career. She moonlights as an entertainer at a drag bar where one night she encounters famed country musician Jackson Maine, played by Bradley Cooper.
As the two begin talking, Ally recounts how doors were slammed on her singing aspirations because her nose was too big. Cooper's character rejects the suggestion, telling her she has a beautiful nose.
The moment is an instant spark of chemistry between the two as they plunge into a love affair set against the backdrop of the music industry.
Lady Gaga insists there are many distinct characteristics she doesn't share with Ally.
"The biggest difference between me and Ally is that Ally has completely given up," she said.
"She does not believe in herself. She does not believe she's beautiful. She doesn't think she has what it takes."
Lady Gaga launched her professional music career after dropping out of a performing arts school at 19 years old, choosing to put everything she had into building her name.
"(I) was dragging my piano around New York City, banging on every door I could to get a gig," she said.
"I was even lying, pretending to be my own manager, trying to get the 10 p.m. slot where it would be the most people at the club as possible."
She said staying true to herself proved especially important once she was signed to a record label.
"They wanted to give my songs to other girls or girl groups, they didn't want it to be me," she remembered.
"I just held onto my music for dear life. I got lucky, I guess, after many years of hard work."
"A Star is Born" arrives in theatres on Oct. 5.
