Five years after first setting the internet ablaze with romance speculation while promoting A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have raised eyebrows from fans once more.
The former co-stars – whose affectionate red carpet interactions in 2018 went instantly viral and were once meme-ified to no end – reunited on the red carpet Tuesday night in Los Angeles, along with Bradley's daughter with Irina Shayk, this time in celebration of the actor's upcoming film Maestro, a Leonard Bernstein biopic.
But while some were eager to see the Oscar-nominated director and 'Poker Face' singer reunite, Gaga's surprising front and center presence at the red carpet (seeing as she has no involvement in the highly-anticipated film) left some fans with questions.
In the musical biopic, Bradley stars as the legendary composer opposite Carey Mulligan, who plays Bernstein's wife Felicia Montealegre, and although Bradley and Carey posed for their fair share of photos together on the red carpet, they didn't get nearly as much attention from netizens as their photos with Gaga, most of which see her posing in between the two lead stars.
While to some the move struck them as awkward, some claiming Gaga was "stealing the spotlight" or that Carey seemed not so happy, body language expert Inbaal Honigman analyzed the interaction for HELLO!, and maintained the moment was not nearly as awkward or tense as it might have seemed.
© Getty"It's an awkward display on the red carpet," Inabel shared, before explaining that each star expressed their comfortability in different ways: "Each of the stars displays a different set of emotions via their body language."
Gaga struck Inabel as "entirely in her element as she poses, her head forward, her smile soft and natural, her eyes pulled into her smile," adding that whether posing in the middle or side, "there's no uneasiness about her at all".
© GettyFor Bradley, who directed the film, Inbaal found his ease fluctuated more.
She says: "[His] smile appears natural, and his hands in his pockets say 'I'm breezy,' but his eyebrows tell a different story," explaining: "He raises them excessively and frequently, which gives the impression that he's trying to appear happier than he is," or stressed.
Further, she does note he "appears more at ease" when posing between Carey and Gaga, "less fidgety" than when he's off to the side, and adds it could imply that "standing to the side was not his idea, and he's not sure that it's a good idea".
© GettySimilarly, she says Carey did appear a little more comfortable when posing next to Bradley, however she maintains there was no lack of friendliness and familiarity between her and Gaga.
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© GettyWhile Inbaal says her very neutral expressions could reflect uneasiness, the rest of her body language, which she says isn't tense, adds important context.
She says: "She may have decided that her neutral face would suit these photos and is maintaining her expression unsmiling on purpose. Posing on the red carpet isn't the most natural habitat for anyone – except perhaps Gaga – and Carey's motionless face is likely not a response to her emotions."
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