Bradley Cooper says he had to delve into his painful past to extract the "truth" while making "A Star Is Born" and the actor has described the process as "very cathartic".

The 43-year-old actor is making his directorial debut with the remake of the 1937 film of the same name. He plays a country musician in the movie who falls in love with his protégé, played by musician Lady Gaga. Copper said channelising 'dark stuff' into art makes the story relatable.

"Anytime you're trying, to tell the truth, you need to go to places and use things that have happened to you, or you've read about or experienced. And that's all part of the beauty of turning whatever things you've gone through into a story. I find that to be very cathartic. I remember learning that in grad school, our teacher said all the insecurities, all the dark stuff you get to use that and that's really the truth," Cooper told Variety at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere.

This is the third remake of the movie. The first being in 1954 starring Judy Garland and James Mason and then in 1976 starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.