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Local Marine Veteran in Movie ‘A Star is Born'

"A Star is Born" is already receiving Oscar buzz, and one of its biggest fans is right here in north Texas.

“Bradley showed a tremendous amount of courage to go through and make this film the way he did and I just couldn’t be more proud,” said Jacob Schick, a third-generation combat Marine.

He met Bradley Cooper on the set of American Sniper, and they became friends.

So when Cooper started filming and directing "A Star is Born," he needed a last-minute tough guy to play Lady Gaga’s mean boss,

“So I got there and Bradley goes, ‘listen, I need you to do that Marine, guttural yell. I’ve heard you do it and that’s what I want you to do,’” and Schick did it effortlessly.

After a couple days of yelling at Lady Gaga, she was kind enough to give him a supportive send off.

“It was her that said, ‘hey everybody, lets give a big round of applause for Jake and all of his hard work,’ because I had to rush off and get back to Texas for an event. She did that,” Schick said. "That’s what humble leadership looks like.”

Schick said he initially agreed to the movie, because its message is similar to his own struggles. He, too, faced addiction and knows the difficulty of getting clean.

“You have to want to get better, as much as you want to breathe,” Schick said. “I’ve done it. I’m an alcoholic/addict. I’ve done it.”

The film also addresses the pain of suicide.

Schick, who once struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts, now runs the non-profit 22Kill, which is dedicated to suicide prevention and mental wellness among veterans.

So for Schick, the topic of suicide is very personal.

“It’s a wake of despair and loss and extreme tragedy, because I’ve seen it—29 times. I know 29 of my friends have died by suicide,” Schick said. “And I don’t even know near that number that were killed in combat, personally.”

Which is why he said this movie is so important to him—because it focuses on mental health.

For Schick, being a part of it, is a platform for a topic that’s often difficult to talk about, but the conversation is needed.

22kill, the organization that Schick runs, is named after the 22 veterans, who on average, take their lives each day. To learn more about what they do to help others, logon to their website www.22kill.com.

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