CULTURE

Jonah Hill Is a Fan of Lady Gaga’s ‘100 People in a Room’ Quote

"She’s delivering those same talking points every night and making them sound new."


Celebrity Sightings in New York City - October 04, 2018
James Devaney/Getty Images

As a two-time Oscar nominee, Jonah Hill knows good acting. So believe him when he says that Lady Gaga has what it takes. Of course, anyone who has seen A Star Is Born can equally attest to that. But the basis of Hill’s judgment isn’t on the film itself; it’s the press tour behind it.

Over the past few months, Gaga has given the same spiel press event after press event. You know the one: “There can be 100 people in a room and 99 of them don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one and it just changes your whole life.” It’s the very one of which Madonna recently reminded the world that she invented — well, sort of.

According to Hill, though, it’s that meme’d quote which is the best proof that Gaga can act, because she’s been selling it over and over and it’s no less convincing each time. Hill, who has seen the moment that’s since became Twitter fodder, defended it at a recent GQ Live talk. “When it was going around, I think it was from a place of mean intent,” he said. “But I thought to myself, damn, she really is an incredible actor. She’s delivering those same talking points every night and making them sound new. That’s acting.”

Despite Madonna’s recent spotlight on her own famed quote that begins with “There can be 100 people in a room,” Gaga has revealed that the origins of her press junket speech are more unexpected. Back in October, a full two months before Madonna’s version recirculated, the pop star turned actress playing a pop star talked about what inspired the quote. “I was taking meetings with entertainment attorneys and knocking on people’s doors, trying to get them to listen to demos that I made on a four-track Tascam cassette player,” she told Elle, “and [Lawrence] said to me, ‘There can be a hundred people in the room, and 99 of them won’t believe in you, but all you need is one.’”

Now, though, Gaga doesn’t just have one. She has both Bradley Cooper and Jonah Hill, and, well, most of the film industry, judging by her many nominations.