The Funny Girl performer just released her long-awaited memoir, My Name is Barbra
Barbra Streisand is arguably one of the most beloved and prolific entertainers of all time, bursting onto the scene with her Broadway debut in 1962, becoming a star in 1963 with the release of her self-titled debut studio album, and achieving legend status in 1968 with her Oscar-winning turn in the film version of .
Now, the 81-year-old multi-faceted performer is calling time on her renowned career with the release of her expansive memoir on November 7, , and gave an interview with the BBC on Sunday, which she stated would probably be her last.
"I want to live life," she said. "I want to get in my husband's truck and just wander, hopefully with the children somewhere near us.
"Life is fun for me when they come over. They love playing with the dogs and we have fun. I haven't had much fun in my life, to tell you the truth. And I want to have more fun."
Barbra has been married to husband James Brolin since 1998 (they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in July). James has three children and four grandchildren from his previous marriage, while Barbra welcomed her son Jason Gould, now 56, with ex-husband Elliot Gould.
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She mentioned that she liked the idea of fame more than actually experiencing it. "It was more exciting to dream about being famous than the reality. I'm a very private person. I don't enjoy stardom."
The "Woman in Love" singer wrote in her book about the media's fixation with her appearance and her "unconventional" beauty, especially the emphasis on her nose which plagued her early career.
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"Even after all these years, I'm still hurt by the insults and can't quite believe the praise," she candidly admitted in her memoir, and told the BBC that the book was "the only way to have some control over my life."
Of the many aspects of her career she discussed in the interview, she was most affected by recalling the memory of her run on Broadway with , which first began in 1964, and her difficulty working with co-star Sydney Chaplin.
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"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 involved with you', he turned on me in such a way that was very cruel," she remembered, emphasizing that it was hard to talk about to this day.
"He started muttering under his breath while I was talking on stage. Terrible words. Curse words," Barbra continued. "And he wouldn't look into my eyes anymore. And you know, when you're acting, it's really important to look at the other person, and react to them.
"It threw me. Sometimes I thought, 'What the hell is the next word?' I felt so flustered." The experience left her so disenchanted with the stage and live performance that she took a 27-year hiatus from concerts, eventually returning in 1994 with a New Year's event at the MGM Grand Las Vegas.
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She definitively proclaimed that with the release of her memoir, her prolific time in the spotlight would come to a close. "This is my legacy. I wrote my story. I don't have to do any more interviews after this."
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