Barbra Streisand has been at the top of global fame for six decades. Now the 81 years of his life have been captured in his autobiographical book, which hits bookstores this Tuesday, November 7th. “My name is Barbra,” the title of the publication, is a closing piece of nearly 1,000 pages that covers her historic career, from her escape from Broadway to California to her famous love life in Hollywood. The volume has been on the shelves for a few hours and some of the excerpts it contains have already made headlines. For example, the reason why the singer and actress never underwent a nose job despite feeling pressured to do so on several occasions, nor to hide her teeth in order to “be more successful in show business”. “Sometimes I felt like my nose was getting more pressure than my own artistic talent,” he laments in his writings. Despite everything, Streisand is proud to be able to reveal her memories because “that’s the only way I can have some control over my life.” “This is my legacy,” he said in statements to the British television station BBC. “I have written my story, after which I don’t have to do any more interviews.”
After enduring a series of criticisms about her physique that continue to this day, the American singer and actress used the pages of her book to explain herself and shamelessly declare that she has always liked the shape of her nose. “I liked long noses…the Italian actress Silviana Mangano had one, and everyone seemed to think she was beautiful,” she says in her memoirs. The actress seriously considered plastic surgery but quickly dismissed the idea as complications could harm her health and career. “It was too risky. And who knew what it could have done to my voice? The doctor once told me I had a deviated septum…maybe that’s why I talk the way I talk,” he writes.
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In the 992 pages, Streisand, who is known for her roles in films such as “Weird Girl”, “A Star is Born” and “The Way We Were”, also took the opportunity to talk about the pressure she faced in the Film industry was exposed and about the double standards for artists. . “I wish I could say that none of this affected me, but it did. After these years, the insults still hurt me and I don’t even believe that the praise I have received throughout my career is real.”
In 1964, Time magazine published a profile photo on the cover that defined the artist’s nose as “a sanctuary” that gave her face the “essence of a dog,” the publication said. “I think when you become famous you become public property. They are an object to be examined, photographed, analyzed, dissected… and half the time I don’t recognize the person they portray. I never got used to it and try to avoid reading about myself,” he admits in his book.
Barbra Streisand poses for a photocall in London, 1968. Andrew Maclear (Getty Images)
The famed EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winning star delves into his decades of artistic work in the entertainment industry. But also in his love and work relationships, which go hand in hand in his life story. In the book he tells anecdotes from the recordings of his films in which he shared moments with Marlon Brando; and even early flirtations with James Brolin, who became her third husband in 1998. “James and I met at a time in my life when I had essentially given up on love. And honestly, I was fine on my own. I had my son, great friends to keep me company, my work was meaningful, and I loved my new house in Malibu overlooking the ocean,” she writes.
In addition, with the publication of her memoirs, many curiosities about the artist have come to light. The singer reveals how she personally asked Apple boss Tim Cook that the virtual assistant Siri pronounce her last name correctly. “My name is not spelled with a ‘Z’, but with an ‘S’, like beach sand in English ‘sand.’ Could it be simpler?” Within days, Cook had the virtual robot’s pronunciation changed. “That’s one of the perks of fame.”
“I haven’t had much fun my whole life and I want to have more fun,” she said after being asked about her future at the book launch this Monday in London. “I want to live my life. I want to get in my husband’s truck and hopefully take the kids around somewhere near us when they come. They love playing with the dogs, we have fun,” he concludes.