Barbra Streisand on How She Battled Hollywood’s Boys’ Club
The Oscars have an embarrassing history of snubbing female directors. Barbra Streisandwas naturally verklempt but ultimately fine when the Motion Picture Academy failed to nominate her for 1983’s “Yentl,” a musical fable about a spinster who passes as a man to gain an education.
“It was strange,” recalls Streisand over a cup of tea at her stunning Malibu estate. “I didn’t mind it for one reason: It really showed the sexism. I thought by not being nominated, I put a spotlight on the issue. I thought, ‘Wow. This is so transparent.’”
Some 34 years later, the barriers that Streisand broke through — as the first woman to juggle duties as the star, director, producer and co-writer of a single studio movie — are at the forefront of everyone’s mind in Hollywood. “I didn’t know it was a glass ceiling,” she says about her decision to step behind the camera. “I just thought, they don’t believe in a woman’s capacity to handle finances or to be the businessman. Years ago, I was told, ‘You want control? A woman wants control? That’s crazy!’”
As the 90th Academy Awards ceremony gets ready to unfold on March 4, there’s no doubt that women are finally regaining control of their own narrative. There’s been an unprecedented reckoning with the #MeToo movement and the firings of powerful, high-profile men accused of sexual abuse and harassment, such as Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose. And in recent months, the Time’s Up campaign has raised $20 million to help eradicate sexual harassment in the workplace.
“It’s just awe-inspiring,” says Streisand, 75, who was motivated to speak out in a rare two-hour interview with Variety. “I’m totally proud.” Although she hasn’t appeared in a film since 2012’s “The Guilt Trip,” her legacy looms large over awards season. Streisand — who won a best actress Oscar nearly 50 years ago for “Funny Girl” and another statuette for song for 1976’s “A Star Is Born” — was the biggest female movie star in the post-studio system. She used her power to leverage stories that she wanted to tell.