Barbra Streisand
In a BBC interview on the eve of the publication of his memoirs, the singer and actor recounts problematic encounters with male collaborators
Barbra Streisand has spoken about her early experiences with sexism, including an incident with Sydney Chaplin that contributed to the stage fright that prevented her from performing in concerts for 27 years before the publication of her memoir.
The singer and actress recalled her strained relationship with Charlie Chaplin’s son when they both appeared on Broadway in “Funny Girl” in the 1960s.
“I don’t even like talking about it,” Streisand, 81, told the BBC ahead of the release of My Name Is Barbra. “It’s just a person who had a crush on me – which was unusual – and when I said to him, ‘I don’t want to be with you,’ he turned on me in a very cruel way.
Barbra Streisand in the film adaptation of Funny Girl. Photo: Cinetext Bildarchiv/Columbia/Allstar
“He started mumbling under his breath while I was talking on stage. Terrible words. swear words. And he didn’t want to look me in the eyes anymore. And you know, in acting it’s really important to look at the other person and respond to them.”
The experience, Streisand said, made her “nervous” and contributed to her giving up live performance. However, she said that throughout her career she has also met other male collaborators who have proven problematic.
This included Walter Matthau, who met her on the set of Hello, Dolly! humiliated. by shouting, “I have more talent in my farts than you have in your whole body”; and Frank Pierson, who publicly rejected the 1976 version of A Star is Born (which he directed), calling Streisand a control freak who constantly demanded more close-ups.
Streisand’s book also lists the men who were fascinated by her, such as Omar Sharif, who wrote long, passionate letters begging her to leave her husband; King Charles (then Prince Charles), who described her as “stunningly attractive” with “great sex appeal”; and Marlon Brando, who introduced himself by kissing her neck and saying, “You can’t have a back like that without it being kissed.”
Barbra Streisand with the then Prince Charles in 1974. Photo: Sipa/Shutterstock
Streisand, who spent nearly a quarter century writing her memoirs, also addressed insults about her appearance early in her career. “Even after all these years, the insults still hurt me and I can’t quite believe the praise,” she told the BBC.
Despite her considerable success, including 150 million records sold, nine Golden Globes, four Emmys and two Oscars (for acting and songwriting), Streisand said she is less than happy when she looks back on her life.
“I want to live life,” she said. “I want to get in my husband’s truck [the actor James Brolin] and just wandering around, hopefully with the kids somewhere near us…To be honest, I haven’t had much fun in my life, and I want to have more fun.”
Streisand discussed her father’s death from a brain hemorrhage when she was 15 months old, leaving the family in poverty. Her mother’s new husband, a used car salesman, was distant and cruel.
“I don’t remember him ever speaking to me or asking me any questions,” she said. “I was never seen by him – [nor] from my mother. She didn’t recognize my passion of wanting to become an actress. She discouraged me.”
Streisand left home at 16 and took a job as a clerk, working as a theater attendant on weekends so she could keep up with the latest Broadway shows.
“I got $4.50, I think, but I always hid my face because I thought one day I would be famous,” she said. “Is not that funny? I didn’t want people to recognize me on the screen and know that I once showed them their place.”
Her dream of fame began to come true in 1960 when she entered a talent contest for a $50 prize and dinner. That night, she said, comedian Tiger Haynes’ girlfriend said to her, “Little girl, I see dollar signs all over you.”
Winning the competition led to Streisand being booked to perform around Greenwich Village in New York, and she was soon receiving standing ovations in clubs and bars. However, her real breakthrough came in the Broadway and later film adaptation of “Funny Girl,” which earned Streisand her first Oscar.
After that, her career was remarkable as she starred in films such as What’s Up, Doc?, The Owl and the Pussycat and The Way We Were. Parallel to her career as a musician, she scored hits such as “Woman in Love”, “Evergreen” and “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)”, becoming the second best-selling artist of all time.
In 1983, Streisand also made her directorial debut with Yentl, the first Hollywood film in which a woman served as writer, producer, director and star.
Barbra Streisand behind the scenes at Yentl. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
She said that when she came to England to film, she found the country far less sexist than the US. “They had a queen and Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister. In other words, you didn’t let the fact that I was a woman intimidate you. In America, I’m sorry to tell you, it was so different. People were cold; distant.”
Although her memoir helps dispel the diva myth that surrounds her, Streisand also recalls moments when stars behaved, like when she called Apple CEO Tim Cook and complained that the iPhone mispronounced her name.
“My name is not spelled with a ‘Z,'” she said. “It’s strife sand, like sand on the beach. How easy is it to get? And Tim Cook was so nice. He had Siri change the pronunciation… I guess that’s a perk of fame!”
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