Introducing Tribeca Talks Podcast: Barbra Streisand with Robert Rodriguez

Tribeca Talks is a compilation of the most engaging conversations recorded live at the Tribeca Film Festival. In this episode, you’ll hear Barbra Streisand in conversation with Robert Rodriguez at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where the two discussed how she got her start in the industry, the moment she knew she wanted to direct, the power of the will, and so much more.

To listen to this episode, visit https://tribecafilm.com/podcasts/series/tribeca-talks-podcasts. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, Fierce fans, I'm dropping into your feed today to
introduce you to a brand new podcast from Tribeca Studios.
It's the Tribeca Talks podcast, and you don't want to
miss it. These are our favorite conversations recorded live at
the Tribeca Film Festival, live in person. Remember when that
used to happen? This podcast includes one on one discussions

(00:21):
with directors about their lives and careers, their intimate conversations
with multi hyphenits in film, TV, and music. Tribeca Talks
have always been a staple of the film Festival. I've
even gotten to host one and it was some of
the most fun I've ever had. They typically take place
in April, but right now you can get the same
up close and personal access wherever you are now. This

(00:42):
first episode celebrates the life of an incredibly fierce woman.
Fierce isn't even enough to describe this lady in it.
Barbara Streisand, Yes, the one and only Barbara Streisand sits
down with Robert Rodriguez at the Tribeca Film Festival to
discuss how she got her start in the industry. The
moment she knew she wanted to direct the Power of

(01:03):
Will and so much more. You're gonna love this podcast.
I can't wait for you to listen, enjoy. This is

(01:23):
Tribeca Talks, our favorite conversations recorded live at the Tribeca
Film Festival. I'm le SRBIB. This conversation between Barber streisand
and Robert Rodriguez took place as part of our Storyteller series,
where we celebrate multi hyphen it's in film, TV and music.
Paula Weinstein, our chief content officer, introduced the event. Songwriter, actor, director, producer,

(01:49):
recording artists, concert performer, author, philanthropists, humanitarian, feminist, environmentalist, activists,
icon A lot for one person and she's the first
female director to ever receive the Kennedy Center Honors from
more than directing, but she led the way as a director.

(02:10):
She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year from
Barack Obama. She is a tireless fighter for human rights
around the world, for healthcare, for the issues that matter
to all of us. And she's here tonight with the

(02:30):
extraordinarily talented Robert Rodriguez. Please welcome Barbara streisand and Robert Rodriguez.
Are y'all come into my show? Great? Well, Hello, gorgeous Hello, sweetheart.

(02:51):
I know a lot of you're wondering why I'm even
up here, So let me just set the stage, because
give me a minute to set the stage, because um
it speaks volumes about the widespread appeal of Barbara Streisand
I grew up in a large Hispanic family of ten
kids in San Antonio, Texas, and in our household, there

(03:12):
simply was no bigger star than Barbara Streisand this is
just how it was growing up. She was my mom's favorite.
My mom would take us to the Revival theater to
see all our movies when they would be rereleased or
reissued in her current films, and we were well versed
in in film history. She would take us to Revival
Theater to see all the movies of like the thirties
and forties and fifties, and we would see whose stars

(03:33):
were still even without history knowledge, Barbara towered over all
of them. And my mom, but you got to meet
love to talk to us ten children about God and
about Barbara streisand those are two favorite subjects. And after
all these years, I don't remember many Bible stories, but

(03:54):
I remember all the Barbara streisand stories. And uh so
when I first met you, and I've been the business
twenty five years. I've been very fortunate to meet some
very impressive people. When I first met you, I was
so star struck and it hit me that, Wow, no one,
after all these years, no one has ever come close
to your level of talent, your level of achievement, your

(04:16):
level of accomplishment in so many different areas. And the
second thing that hit me was and no one ever
will think about that. Think about that for a second.
To be an act into her acting, her music. You know,
she's sold more records than the Rolling Stones. I mean,

(04:41):
are you sure? And to then to turn into a
directing career, I mean, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar Tony, if someone
did that today, and when you made Yentle, you were
the first woman to write, produce, direct and star in
a major motion picture. If somebody did that today, it
would be the second coming after you did Funny Girl

(05:03):
in n She did twelve movies in twelve years, starting
them while putting out twenty albums, and then turned to directing.
I mean, so, when you when you have someone in
that was that impressive of career and she's the only one,

(05:23):
you think, it's just natural that people tend to take
them for granted right after some time because they're just
so used to them being But when you go back
and study like I've been doing the past couple of weeks,
it's so much material that you, uh, you find it staggering.
And Barbara, we're all here tonight. I flew from Texas.
People came from all over because we do not take
you for granted. That's very sweet. Thank you, Robert, thank you.

(05:52):
The stage is now set, so let us begin. First question,
how the hell did you do this? Who are you?
Where are you? Are you from another planet? I mean,
it's unbelievable the level of talent. What early days sort
of definance an artist? What made you want to get
into singing in particular? Because you could have been anything?
What made you a singing because I know you studied

(06:12):
drama originally you wanted to be a dramatic actress. But
what broke you? Did you just need to break in
any which way? Or how did you? How did you
do it? You know? I think it's because I wanted
to escape reality. Um, I wasn't happy. I wasn't a
happy kid, and I used to go to the movies

(06:37):
a lot. Saturday afternoons. I didn't know that they had
time schedules, so I would come in any time of
the day and sit through two movies. And the only
time I ever sat through two movies to see the
first one again was to see Marlon Brando for the

(07:00):
first time. It was like uh huh and uh. That
inspired me. And I loved the make believe world, the
world of color, you know. I remember leaving the theater
and going out into the drab, hot summer days, you know,
and thinking, oh, gosha. Inside the theater it was cool.

(07:24):
They had great ice cream and these movies and movie
stars and love, you know, romance. So that's how it began.
And then, um, remember your first experience of being on stage.
Did you feel like you were at home or did
you feel do you knew there was How did you envision?
It seems you seemed like someone who can vision something
and then you just make it happen. What was your

(07:45):
vision early on? Oh gosh, that's an interesting thing, interesting question. Um.
I remember I was the kid on the block with
a good voice, my my m o, you know, my
I d was no father good voice, and we used

(08:09):
to harmonize on the stoop in Brooklyn and oh and
I thought my mother arranged. I mean, it's too long
to go into this. I've been working for two years
on my autobiography. I mean it it's endless. So and

(08:32):
it's very hard to for me to write about myself.
It's like, you know, been there, done that, and now
I have to like try to remember things. And actually
interesting things come out of it, but mostly it's I'd
rather be directing a film. Put it that way. Um,

(08:54):
but what we what was the question? Just what was
it that first give you a vision to be a performer?
What was the vision that you had for a career?
Would you really think? So? I had this. I was
a kid with a good voice, right, and I remember
my mother took me up to uh audition for Dudley

(09:16):
Wilkinson at MGM. Interesting MGM actually did gentle. So this
funny string attached, right, and I sang in a in
a glass booth and I kind of imitated Joanie. Um
what was her name? Joanie? Johnny James? Thank you very much?

(09:38):
Uh singing? Have you heard? And I thought, well, just
because you get the audition means you're going to be
a star. Little did I know? But um, we used to.
I lived in a project and we had a central
park sort of I mean made out of concrete, but

(09:59):
they had swing us and I remember I was double jointed,
and I used to do twirls underneath the the slide
and I thought, wow. I was nine. I remember that
I thought, I'm going to be a star. And I
am a person who really believes in the power of
the will, and I think, I don't know. I think

(10:23):
I kind of willed it in a very quiet way.
By the way, it's not loud or pushy or anything.
It's very internal, very deep, and I do believe that
you can manifest your reality because I when I was sixteen,
in acting classes, I read a book by George Bernard

(10:44):
Shore called The Quintessence of Ibsenism because I actually wanted
to be in Ibsen place. And the one sentence I
remember out of that book was thoughts can transcend matter.
Thoughts transcend matter, And I thought, okay. You know, even

(11:11):
later on, when I had a career as a singer,
people would say, how do you hold the note so long?
And I said, because I want to. Yeah, I mean,
I never had formal training. I don't know a technical
answer to that question. You know, so I think it's

(11:31):
because of my will when you go up against so
much adversity and just barriers, you know, just as a
woman in the business trying to what what would you
and you're sensitive, You're a sensitive person and you want
to keep that as an artist, criticism and just push back.
How do you get past that? Is it just willpower?
Or do you tend to ignore the barriers that are

(11:52):
put up? And you know, I think if you have strength,
but it's not like you're saying you have a very
soft strength, You're not. You're not made of iron. Um.
It's funny because I I don't like crappy criticism. I
like constructive criticism. I really do. If somebody can show
me something that I can do better, I'm I'm all

(12:14):
up for it, you know. But what I remember is
the bad reviews. I forget the good reviews I have.
I'm working on this book and I have a researcher
and she tells me these great reviews. I said, what
where did that come from? I don't remember them at all.
I remember the bad. So, you know, that's probably part

(12:34):
of the an artistic process. You you start because in
a way, you don't feel good enough, and yet there's
also the other end of the scale, which is confidence.
So it's a funny thing, you know, you have to
have both qualities. I think the self doubt and the confidence.

(12:59):
I just try to figure out. And we've talked a lot,
and you're still a mystery to I can't figure yes,
because you have such fantastic confidence, yet you still have
the self toubt. I just wonder, how do you push
past the self doubt? Because you accomplished so much it
spin's heads that what is it that you tell yourself
at the point where you get the criticism, especially if

(13:20):
it's bad, not constructive, and you just feel like everyone's
against you and no one believes you like you tell
your cameraman, isn't that wrong? And he's the lies? I mean,
when you just got the deck stacked against you, what
takes you over the edges is because you have such
a strong vision or just willpower or what how you
you're so in touch with creativity. How do you keep

(13:41):
that creativity going? Gosh? I don't know, you know, maybe
certain things are in the d n A. I didn't
know my father because I was only fifteen months old
when he died, But in reading his writings, his thesis
and going for going for a PhD. He I mean here,

(14:04):
I was wanting to be this classical actress, really and
dude plays of Shakespeare and Chekhov and Ibsen and reading
rereading recently his thesis how to Teach English Too, Juvenile

(14:26):
Delinquents and Prisoners at Elmira Reformatory. It's all about the
use of Chekhov, Ibsen, Shakespeare. I mean, I didn't know him,
so I think it's in the DNA, you know. And
I think my father was somebody who was on the

(14:49):
debating team and the French team and wanted to write,
but he was interested in psychology and he taught school,
so who knows. I mean, it's there are certain things
that are kind of mysterious, and you're very instinctual, so
you tend to just follow your instinct. I really go
by what feels right to me, which would explain a

(15:10):
little bit. It's not repeatable, but how you when I
have this career, because if you had done what you
were supposed to listen to people when they told you
to do that, played by the roles, you would not
have your career would have been over like that. But
you know, you know, that's very interesting because my mother
went to work when my father died, so I was

(15:33):
I had no discipline and other words. I remember teaching
my mother how to smoke a cigarette at ten years old.
Uh you know, I remember, you know, asking why all
the time, you know, questioning things. That's because I also
went to Yeshiva and where you learn how to analyze

(15:57):
things or question them, and that became gentle in a sense.
I understood her. And I realized too, when I was
writing this book, that my grandfather would take me to
synagogue on high Holy Days and I would sit with
him in the men's section. I wasn't alienated with the

(16:19):
women upstairs, right, so I felt kind of familiar with
being with the men. Uh you know, who knows what
that has to do with even choosing to do gentle
um When you and Funny Girls, one of my favorite bodies,

(16:39):
who seem funny Girl, it's your first film, starting in
a first film. You got an oscar and your very
first film for your performance. It's an amazing film. It's
a story of Fanny Brice, but easily feels like it
could be your story because when you're seeing I am
the greatest star it is like the announcement. You're seeing

(17:02):
a star being born on screen and the story, but
also in real life. It's and Kenny, how sometimes people's
first films reflects so much of their personality and they
kind of become that character, and you sow to greater
heights than that character ever did, even Um, what's your
favorite memory of working on that movie? Oh? I loved
every minute of working on that movie. And I adored

(17:24):
Willie Wiler and my cameraman Harry Straddling. They were just wonderful.
But I remember well learning how to dislike the press,
because every time I said something, how to suggestion, it
was like put in the paper as if I were

(17:45):
like as if we were fighting or something, and I thought,
what are you talking about? I mean, I always had,
you know, thoughts about I always had opinions, and opinions
in the xties were not popular from women. It's interesting
they had them in the forties. Well, that was during

(18:06):
the war, you know, when men went to war and
you were left with the women. So you had opinions
so much so that director William Wiler gave you a
megaphone at the end and a note that said congratulations,
Barbara and directing your first picture. I love that you're
my hero because you have to be that person to

(18:27):
get through the business being a woman. That's why when
you finally turned to directing and gental just a it's
a great honor. But the fact that you were the
first woman to write, direct, producing, star and a major
motion picture, it's kind of sad that that was the
first time. But better you than anybody else. But only

(18:47):
with that kind of willpowered drive and vision and your
turists my mom's atarists. Yes we're strong. If you want
to get right over just getting her way right well.
You know, I remember Coley Willie before I directed Yentle
and saying, you know, I can't wait to talk to you,
and um he said to me, I'll just tell you
what not to do, and I was fascinated as to

(19:10):
what that was going to be. When I came back
from a wreckie in London, I called Willie right away
because I really couldn't wait to meet with him. And
his wife said he had died, but she wrote me
a beautiful note that said, you know, when you're on
the set, if you don't know what to do, be

(19:31):
very quiet and you might hear Willie whistling, not whistling.
You might hear Willie whispering in your ear. You know.
It was just such a lovely thought that I thought, okay,
because I remember Alan Parker saying to me, if you
don't know what to do, I tell him to build tracks.

(19:54):
You see. Being a woman, I couldn't do that. I
don't want them to do all this work for nothing.
I mean, I couldn't do that, I thought. See, but
I've already thought about it, you know, I had five
years to think about it. Fourteen years before I made Gentle,
but five years of really you know, day to day,
minute to minute, night to night, um writing, searching. You

(20:20):
worked with some amazing directors, William Wiler, Gene Kelly, Vincent Minnelli.
And that's just your first three movies. Peter MacDonough, Sydney Pollock,
Who did you? Did any of them encourage you to director?
When did when did you get the idea that you
wanted to be a director? Because it wasn't a path
women were taking, And that's what did you always know
that it was gonna When did you know that you're

(20:41):
gonna know? I really didn't until actually the way we
were in terms of film directing the way we were. Um,
I adored Sydney, but we were very close friends. We
told each other secrets at no one will ever know,

(21:02):
but we disagreed on a big thing, and that was
that in the way we were. There were two scenes
that were cut out that I thought were essential to
the plots. Essential to the plot, yeah, because now they
break up, the two characters, Hubble and Katie. They break

(21:25):
up because it looks like he slept with this girl
once or something, and that's why they broke up. But
they didn't really break up because of that. The two
scenes that were cut out were the first one where
Katie was driving through the u c. L A campus
and she hears and sees a girl sort of like

(21:48):
reminding her of herself in the late thirties when she
was standing up in front of this college crowd and
people made fun of her and she got angry. She
didn't have too great a sense of humor whatever. And
I pull up the car and I'm pregnant, and I

(22:12):
see this girl and I see a crowd gathering and
she's talking about the beginnings of the Blacklist. And we
did this take in one take because it was so
well written, meaning just the idea that Katie drives up
to this college and sees a person much younger than herself,

(22:33):
but it reminds her of the way we were, the
way I was, and I remember loving it in Arthur's treatment,
and he did it in one take, one shot where
as I'm watching her, the camera just moves in and
all I did was I didn't even know what was

(22:55):
going to happen. But what happened to me was I
started off kind of thinking, my God, is that what
I looked like, you know, and sounded like, and and
then as the camera moved in, it just I got
so sad. So by the end of the moving I
was sobbing. Okay, now that was cut out of the film,

(23:25):
and I thought, because I had wanted Redford to have
I loved the structure. Here's this love scene, love seeing
me and Redford together. I love you, I love I
want us to be together. And he said, uh, you know,
we love each other. That's the trouble we do. Now.
The next scene was going to be me at U
C l A. And then we added a scene for

(23:48):
Redford in the boat where he's talking about the best years,
and that was perfect structurally because it was like we
love each other and then you have her alone and
you have him alone. And here's the next scene that
was cut out. Starts with Redford saying, who's Frankie McVeigh

(24:08):
in their beach house? And I said, you know the
kid from the y C L remember, played by James Woods, right,
And he says, he just informed on you. He what
what are you talking about? Yeah, well, you know, I
said some sort of line about he must have hated

(24:32):
that you cut in at the dance. I don't know,
I mean what what what could he be using as
as what is he talking about? If there was a
scene before I tell Redford I'm pregnant where I said,
you know how I spent my days. I write synopsises
of these crappy screenplays. One of them today I made up,
you know, a Chinese rice patty or something like that.

(24:56):
That's the kind of crap they're using against me. But
there's no reason. I mean, people should not be informing
on each other. And you know what this means, Hubble.
This means that if you have a subversive wife, you
get fired. You can't stay in this town. And he says,
I'll go back to I'll go back to writing my novel,

(25:18):
and now it cuts into what is in the movie. Now,
I sit down at the table and I say, it's
amazing how events change your life. Willy nilly, What events?
What events? The point is that by the end of
that scene, I say to him, will you stay with

(25:38):
me till the baby is born? Because I've made that decision.
The character of Katie, our politics, and our love story
come together at that moment. That's the climax of the film.
You can see this conversation, by the way, if you
ever look at the way we were DVD deleted scenes

(25:59):
or some uh. This was a conversation that we was
filmed between Sydney, Me and Arthur Lawrence. And it's very
interesting to hear this, you know, because Sydney and I.
Sydney and I have always disagreed about this. I begged them,
you know, throw out twenty minutes of the film. Yes
they were boring political scenes, but don't throw out these

(26:24):
five minutes. And he told me it was cut for length.
And you're like, well, cut one of the other scenes.
Why are you getting that scene? Well, I mean there
were other scenes that were cut that were right to cut.
You know what I'm saying like he made a big
chunk twenty minute cut and fifteen of those minutes were
right to go out. But Sydney told me when I said,
why would you cut that? And he said, nobody would

(26:44):
believe that stuff about uh, you know Chinese. And this
was three months before Watergate, and you know when Watergate,
would you believe the plumbers went in and they screwed
up the lock? And then that, you know, who would
believe that story? So when you that's when I decided
to be a director. Yeah, I was gonna say, I'm

(27:05):
gonna I'm directing from now on. Well, I mean by
that point, you've already done so many records, and as
when you're doing records, you are the director. So was
it hard to have so much control and see so
much success By having control and the recording, you're you're
a multi mega multi iphon it. So you're complete control

(27:28):
in the music world. But then you go and you've
been a movie and you're begging for things that you
don't get. That's what made you become a film director
in a way. Probably in a way. I mean my
first film, Willie, you know, he sat with me and
he when he put this film together, I must say
of the shots that he picked and the takes, because

(27:50):
I was editing in my head watching the dailies every day,
and I swear he put together the film the way
I except for the story I told you earlier up
and where I wanted to refilm the song live song,
last scene. Yeah, But um, I don't know. I couldn't
believe because the rest of the movie I thought was great,

(28:13):
you know, the way we were, but I couldn't understand
those two scenes, you know, being cut. Also, it's interesting,
I remember thinking, you know, they break up, puts a
key down on the piano, and uh, they're alone, and
she was putting his clothes in a suitcase. She was

(28:35):
taking out his paper. She and then she's sitting there
before I do something, a big telephone call, And I
said to Sydney, wouldn't it be better if she was
angry at first, meaning she slams his takes out his
paper and slams it shut, takes his clothes and puts
it in a suitcase and slams that, and then takes

(28:56):
his shaving cream out of the thing and puts it
that in a can. You know, And then you cut
two quiet far shot. You don't know what's going to happen.
She's quiet before she makes that telephone call. You know.
But Sydney was a wonderful director. Believe me. There was

(29:18):
a part with me that I couldn't cry in a
scene and he didn't have to say anything to me.
He just held me for a moment and that was it,
you know. I mean, he was fabulous. I adored him.
But it just shows you that from that point that
But that's amazing that you um because again, it wasn't
a path that was chosen, but that's the path he shows. Okay,

(29:39):
I'm gonna just going to direct my own movies. I mean,
that's very bold. That's why. Well, I also believe in
serving the director's vision. So it was you know, if
Sydney wanted it that way, I did it the best
I could. Because I remember saying to him, you have
me crying in five scenes right near each other. Wouldn't
it be better to just take a couple away, don't

(30:00):
have me cry. I didn't want to cry, but I
did it because he wanted. What did you do after
you started directing? Um, I don't think I've asked you
this before. Did you find it hard to just act again,
did you was the director always working or will you
find a relinquish? It was so easy to act because
once you write, you know, work on a script that long,

(30:20):
and you know everything about the movie, the texture, the language,
the lighting. You it's all in your head. It was
the easiest part. And that's what I told you. I
always filmed the other actors first. Oh no, I mean
on somebody else's movie that you're not you're not directing.
Uh huh, hard I get it. I figured, you know, well, yeah,

(30:44):
like star is born, like stars, but well star is born.
That was tough. That was really tough because I was,
in a sense blackmailed into hiring the director. I had
high at him to write, and then before he would
do another rewrite, he said, by the way, I won't

(31:07):
do it unless I direct. Now I had control over
that movie. I had final cut with the first artist company.
That's what they gave the artist's final cut. So and
I had that movie in my head and I worked
on the script a lot, so and the songs and
all that. Um. I said, look, you could have all

(31:30):
the credit, but you have to allow my vision to
be as well. I mean as yours. It was interesting,
interesting that I'm like a straight shooter. I tell you
what I think. But he was kind of um. He
would say I agree with that. I agree with that,

(31:50):
and then I'd come on the set and cameras in
the completely other position as what do you mean? You know,
It's like, um, that was tough because let's say I
would say I was doing my song Evergreen, and I
wanted to do the whole movie was live singing, and
so I say, I have the idea for it. You know,

(32:11):
we do it in one shot, and the camera's going
to start on a microphone. My hand will come into frame,
and then then my head can come into frame. And
then as the camera moves around, you see another hand
on her hand, and it's Chris Christofferson, and it will see.

(32:32):
If that camera goes in a hundred and eighty degrees,
you will see everything you have to see. You will
see me, you will see Christofferson, you will see a
two shot. You will be behind my head and see Chris,
and then you just come back. It was like the
simplest thing, so I could sing the song in one take.

(32:53):
I don't like to break up songs and things and scenes,
even so and you know, you pick us eyes. That
was normal, natural. It held the microphone that determined the
reality of the piece. You know, I even sang the
wrong lyrics. It shows you how live it was, you
know what I mean. But now the director comes in
and says, now, I don't like the size. I think

(33:16):
it should be. I think he wanted it tighter or looser.
I can't remember what we did this other size that
made no sense. It wasn't real. It wasn't Why would
you even be closer or why would you be wider?
And I know I knew I got it because in
that take, in the first take, Chris pulled away because

(33:36):
he was very insecure singing with me. In the second
take perfect because I said to him before, whatever happens,
don't leave me here alone, you have to stay with me, okay.
And so here he's pulling away and I'm grabbing him back,
you know, all on film, all for real. You know. Uh,

(33:59):
he did something that I loved and I kissed him
in the middle of it. You could never do this
if this was lip sync. And I'm a terrible lip
syncer because I can't be in the moment if I'm
trying to do something that was done three months before.
Do you know what I mean? I don't work that way,
so it's more fun my way. I love hearing how

(34:25):
you were you had, Yeah, you had strong opinion. But
also part of it's that you're it's so subjective, right,
because he's just subjective. He might have thought that that
frame looked good. You just thought it was better tighter
or is that why? Also it's not just so much
that you want to just have your way and that
you want control, but it's so subjective that it is
subject different opinions. Yeah, I mean we did it as well.

(34:49):
You know, he could do whatever he wants. I just
wanted and another thing, so he would. I would be
in the middle of a song and it was in profile,
and then I was it was really good, and he
yelled cut. I go, why did you cut? He says,
your head went out of frame. Now, I said, if

(35:10):
you have a good operator, he'll follow my head. Two,
my head will come back even if you know so.
So it was insane to me, you know what I mean?
Like why because I saw Christofferson do something. He was
in a very poignant scene alone, hangs up the telephone

(35:34):
and Frank yelled cut, But the actor was processing what
he was doing or what he just felt like. It
was so interesting that I saw that he doesn't see
the truthful moment. Actors are very interesting, and so he

(35:58):
yelled action, but I yelled cut. That's awesome. You know
what I um. You did a record with recently, with
Jamie Fox, saying on one of the tracks called Encore,
by the way, her new album, you have to get it.
It's really terrific. Jamie's fantastic. He worked with a director
friend of mine. My director friend told me this because
he knew I was gonna come speak to you. He said,

(36:19):
it was funny. I was having a conversation with Jamie Fox,
my director friend said, and it came up that you
all did an album together. And Jamie asked my director friend,
have you ever met Barbara? And my friends said no,
I haven't, and Jamie said she gangster and you are.
I mean, you inspire so many people. I mean when

(36:39):
you say these stories, they inspired this young Hispanic filmmaker
from San Antonio, Texas to go up into an industry
where you felt like you didn't have a voice, and
to see you do it really was inspiring. And when
you made your first film entol. I mean, my family
was already a big fan of yours, but to see
my five sisters watching it over and over again for
a whole other reason, because I saw the power that

(37:01):
you had in making this in this film, and it
really is life changing. Yeah, and you told me the
most fascinating thing about that that made me think a
lot about wide diversity and it's so important in Hollywood.
You told me that when you shot Yental, it was

(37:21):
actually a very smooth experience that you didn't no one
even questioned you being a director like you had thought.
And why was that? It was because they had a
woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. You shot in England. In England,
that's right, and they had a queen. So what was
I you know, a little picture, first time director, It

(37:42):
didn't matter. I mean, a woman in power like that,
I was. They were used to it, you used to.
But then when you had come back here and made
you made me realize, Yeah, it's it's a there's a
cultural problem and the only way that changes is by
diverse voices, more women in film. And yet those are
the ones who are held back. But that's what that's

(38:07):
what is needed um Ental was a triumph. I mean,
I love so much about that movie, and we'll go
into it. And it was even recognized by Academy four
Academy Award nominations, maybe even five, who's counting, who's counting?
I I forget those because the one that stands out
the most, besides Best Picture was the lack of Best Director.

(38:30):
She didn't get nominated for Best Director. Now it wasn't
nominated for Best Picture. That was Prince of Tides. Okay, okay,
well the Best Director was over Okay, possibly a snub,
you possibly snub. We'll see what happens. But it really

(38:52):
does mean a lot for women, for minorities, when people
to get when you get robbed that that's that's a
bad thing because you need that where ignition to get
your next gig. A man, we'll go and take those
four nominations and get you know, eight movies in the
next eight years. You didn't direct another movie for eight years.
Why did you wait so long to make Prince of Tides.
Not that it wasn't worth waiting for, but you know,

(39:13):
at the time, I felt okay about it. It was
like it made the it made the subject of discretion
discrimination against women. It made it. It put it a
spotlight on. It was like huh, people thought, but um
so it didn't. You know, I was pleased to see

(39:34):
people holding up signs at the Academy rod I didn't
go that night. Um So I thought it was interesting.
But I must have been more hurt than I thought,
because it's like I didn't want to direct for years
until I found The Prince of Tides. I also have

(39:56):
to have a passion for a project. It's like other wise.
I mean, you produced the film in that time, and
I was just wondering why. It just really surprised me
you didn't direct for so long after. But again it's
also this lack of material. In fact, you had to
write Gentel. You're one of the writers on Entil that
that thing just pop out of the air. So it
takes time to create your own projects. So that you

(40:17):
found Prince of Tides is remarkable because it's such a
different movie than you've even acted in before. What you
you do that project? Because that was really surprising coming
from you. You know, I didn't want to take another
five years of planning this thing beside the other um
the fourteen years completely. Um So I wanted to see

(40:40):
how I could do that faster, so that one only
took three and a half years, but it was exciting,
it was I loved making that movie. And I went
away on a boat trip after I went to a
a symposium which was so interesting because us it's like,

(41:01):
at the moment of commitments, you know, the universe does
conspire to assist you, said by Gerta. And as soon
as I thought, that's what I really want to do,
I went to this symposium filled with doctors and therapists

(41:21):
and I was looking for the character of the wounded
healer right and I found it right there, and and
these sessions are all taped, and some of the things
that were said, and you know, so I went on
this boat trip with a great friend, Steve Ross, who
used to be the head of Warner Brothers Divine, Lovely,

(41:45):
Kind sweet Man, and um, it's funny. The room had
a desk for writing looking out at the ocean and
he was going to grease where where that's the the
basis of mythology. And the two characters in Prince of
Tides were twins, and so sort of everything's just fell

(42:08):
into place. I was able to distill the novel that
was five hundred and forty seven or eighty seven pages,
and see that quiet and being in a wonderful company
and in a foreign country. I was able to figure
out what the movie would be to me, you know,
because somebody said it should be. It's so such a

(42:29):
big book, it should be a thirteen series. Um, you've
got a fantastic performance from Nicknolty. You're terrific in it too.
Is it hard to act in a movie that you're directing. No, no,
as I said, because there's less people to argue with.
You don't have to argue with the producer or the
you know, the director. Uh I come last, the directors,

(42:54):
the act the other actors. At first, that's my biggest
joy is to get the best performer, says out of
other actors. And then it's the director's vision. Then it's
the producer who has to you know, sort the um

(43:14):
financial with the aesthetic, the creative. And then the actress
because she just dumps, you know, she steps in at
the end and you can be as simple as you want.
You know, if you haven't seen Prince of Tides, watch
it and you'll be very surprised that she she made
it it doesn't seem like a Barber Streisan movie. It
really shows her growth as a director. One of my

(43:35):
favorite things about it too, it's a small thing. But
you didn't even put one of your songs in the movie,
though you had one. You put it on the soundtrack,
but not in the movie because you thought it would
take away probably from the film showing And that's your
audience counts on that they pay money to see your
songs and the end credits. The studio wanted an Academy
Award nomination for a new song. I thought, I can't

(43:56):
do it. Now. It's interesting Redford didn't want me to
sing at the end of the way we were but there.
I didn't mind it because I wasn't the director, and
Sydney loved it. And it does go with the movie
of the movie, and but here directing it and then
singing at it, and then so I thought, why is

(44:17):
the psychiatrist singing? Yeah, that's badass, but and and the
movie is it's a power, powerhouse movie. And this time
the Academy was paying attention. Seven Academy Award nominations, including
Best Picture at at no nomination for Best Director. Again,

(44:43):
that is clearly I mean back then, it's just confusing
now looking back historically, of course it's a fucking snub.
They don't they want to put you in your place.
Used to say that and people would say, oh, she's
just no. It's true. There were a lot of older people,
older directors too, that they're not used to it. They

(45:05):
don't want to see a woman director, I don't think.
And then there's the whole notion of I don't know
how many women wanted to see another woman director, because
then you get into competition and a bit of jealousy.
And you know, because I was telling you earlier, the
most vitriolic reviews of yentle maybe even Prince of Tithes

(45:27):
those I remember, but I don't remember what they said.
I just remember being shocked. I remember the first I
was on some sort of special talking about Yentele and
after it was Channel seven and the woman said, oh,
I'm going to give you the first review of Yentele.
Stay tuned. By the way. This woman was the girlfriend

(45:50):
of another producer that I worked for, and she was upgraded.
He saw to it that she went from a cooking
show to a v critic, you know, doing movies now, right,
And I'll never forget the sound of her voice. She said, well,
you want to know what I think about Yentle. I

(46:11):
liked it, but I didn't love it. You know the
New York Times. I remember that because, oh that was
about that was about Yentile. Yeah, she said, she's wearing
designer Yamakas and I didn't like. She said, I didn't

(46:36):
like the lighting coming in that window on her father. Now,
David Watkin is a brilliant cinematographer. The light on him
was gorgeous. And every piece of clothing I wore was
from books and research from the Evo Institute and Polish
Jews and so forth. And it was the same Yamica

(46:57):
they you know, Bergmann Ingma Bergmann had uh, Fanny what
was it called again? Fanny, Fanny, Fanny and Alexandra thank you.
But she criticized my Why nobody none of the women
at the time I remember, except I think Poland Cale.
But I forget these reviews, honestly, but I think it

(47:18):
was good. I'm not sure, but it was not about
what the movie was about, a celebration of women and
all they could be. They could, you know, make the
simmis for dinner, and they could have babies and they
could study and be smart. None of them talked about that.

(47:40):
What it was the movie was trying to say, so
go figure so um. But you caused a lot of change.
I know that's not why you did it, but so
many more women now are in film because of you.
In fact, apparently only woman to ever win for the
Best Director was Kathy Bigelow, and it just so been. Yes,

(48:01):
you were the one handing her the reward at this
I thought that because I knew she was going to win,
and I thought, I remember just that living it's about
time or something. It was like, of course she should win.
How did that feel? I mean, you must have known
that it's because of you became that it became a
path for people. It really did. It really changed people thinking, Well,

(48:24):
it made me think Mexican get into Hollywood, That's what
I think. But how many years later was that from Yentel?
I forgot what, you know, when she won the account
that was seven and Yental was you know, I took
a long time, and look, not enough women are directing now,

(48:46):
not enough, not enough? Oh no, not at all. No,
it's it's never enough. But it's certainly more than it
was because of Well, I love when a woman's name
on a film and that I always pray that it's good.
You know, well, I mean I wanted to be good.
I wanted when you're you're just curious when you're directing
and acting at the same time, Like you're in a

(49:08):
scene with Nicknolt, do you do you just go ahead
and get lost in the scene as an actor or
is director always working and you're using that as an opportunity.
Director is always working. And by the way, it's tough
for the other actors sometime, because I remember doing a
scene with Mandy Potankon Potanka potank Yeah, Patankon for Pottenkin.
I don't know, Pa Tanking and you know, we're walking

(49:32):
down the street and then I have to look at him.
What do you like this girl? I mean, she she's
she has a whatever the lines were, but and then
you stopped the scene and then I go, you know,
on that line, because I have no coverage, maybe try
it another way or play with it or something. And

(49:52):
he he was like shocked. He was like, but you know, oh,
he said to me. I remember him saying to me,
you're looking at me, and I said, well, I'm the
character looking at you because you know I was talking
about your girlfriend in there, so it can be confusing.
I mean, it's it's tough, you know. I mean, it's

(50:12):
not necessarily easy for the other act right now there
you see them, they probably look at you and say, Okay,
she's reacting, but she's also thinking. I could put a
fifty millimeter on this. And um, I really love that
quote that you said, you know how to along? Do
you hold I note? Because I want to what advice
would you give to those because you seem fearless and

(50:35):
I know you're you'll laugh at that, but not what
advice would you give to those I have fear, but
I do it anyway, you do it anyway that way.
What advice would you give to those who have fear
of criticism, that fear of not knowing, that fear of
following their in her voice, fear of failure, but also
fear of success because if you're successful, you'll get criticized
even more like you do, like you've been saying that

(50:56):
fear in general, what would you tell people because you're
so adept to create, but I think that fear is
like an engine to create, do you know what I mean?
That's just how you see it. That's a great thing
right there. You're using it as an engine and not
a wall. So yeah, how do you how do you
feed off of that fear? Do you don't mention a
wall to me? I don't want any wall. I can't

(51:22):
say that word anymore. Do you consider yourself an actress,
a singer, or a director first? I mean, because you're
so many things? What would you consider yourself first? Or
that you enjoyed the Probably actress only because that's what
I wanted to be first. And then I sang because
I couldn't get a job as an actress. And then

(51:42):
I directed because I couldn't I couldn't be heard. Do
you know what stories you want to tell? Weren't being told?
They're being given to You know, I couldn't control the outcome.
I have no power. So no, I like being responsible
for my work, you know, taking the blame and the reward.

(52:03):
You said something interesting backstage. Now today, if you have
to choose between an acting gig and a directing gig,
you would choose directing. You'd rather direct? Oh yeah, definitely.
Oh now, I just really want to direct. Acting is
too much trouble. You have to put on makeup. You
have to have your hair done. I think there's some
microphones of people want to ask a question, you can
line up behind the somebody said there was microphones. Is

(52:24):
their microphones? Okay? Who's first on the questions? There? Back
there with a microphone? Hi, Barbara, Hi? How are you
able to deal with being a mom and continue to
go forward with your career and deal with that, you know,
the guilt of being a mom, being away from your child,

(52:45):
but still persevering as a singer. Because for me, if
I don't do that, I won't be who I am.
You know, you do the best you can. I mean,
right when you come home, do you bathe your child,
do you do read stories, do you sing with him?
Or you know, it's the connection. It's that connection. I
always believe in being very honest with my son, and

(53:09):
I'm very very proud of him today. I mean, he
he's a great singer. By the way, my son just
made an album produced by Quincy Jones that's about to
come out um soon. So you do the best you can.
You know. It's like we blame our mothers for this
and that, and then you outgrow that and you realize

(53:30):
life is tough. It's not easy. And as I said
to the best, you can thank you. Next question. Hi Barbara, Hi, Barbara, Hi,
this is probably the biggest thrill of my life. I
have loved you since I was twelve years old. Oh
my god, Yeah, I have all You're everything, you know,

(53:53):
the how the works. I want to ask you what
goes into when you when you UH make albums and
I have all of them, what what goes into selecting
the songs? Because you have selected some of the most
gorgeous songs in the world. It was always about, well,

(54:16):
it had to be a great lyrics something that I
could act because when I started to sing, because I
couldn't get a job as an actress, I looked for
songs that that had a beginning, of middle and an
end so the character could go someplace like a song
like if I Loved You probably you know, as a
song about well, you know, she loves them, but she

(54:38):
can't show it, so you know, if you know, defensive
and then by the end of the song, she's almost
shy because she maybe admitted too much. But that's all
because if I love You, I mean, it's really interesting
to pick songs, you know, from a lyric point of view,
but it also has this magnificent melody to sing. I

(55:03):
know there are other people the Bergmans have such You've
have been so close with them. Have they helped you
select a lot of this song or you've done all
the select except for the for their songs. I've sung
sixty of their songs, so they right, you know, they
understand drama. And the score of Yentle was pretty fantastic,

(55:27):
I must say. And it was so much fun to
do over the years with them. So yeah, they're great.
Good luck, my pleasure, pleasure your Well, it's funny when
I went to your concert. I went to your concert.
I took my mom to see your concert in Texas
and texts you never played Texas. We were there and
it was wonderful, and but it was so funny at

(55:49):
the end. You asked me because you talked between your songs,
and it's fascinating's like this, but she sings in between
you get to hear all these great stories, and you
asked me a funny question at Danny said, do you
think I talked too much in between songs? That hasn't
that been your accents the sixties? I mean, you still
ask people for advice, you still have that unsure Yeah,

(56:11):
I like I like to ask people because it kind
of strengthens my own opinion. But even after that much
time though, because I love it, I mean you kind
of almost didn't need the music because you're like, hey,
I love just hearing her stories. I loved it. But
it was funny that you would still I thought it
was very charming. Did you don't think? You know, that's

(56:34):
just what that just would be arrogant. That means I'm
I'm a little girl and still full of wonder as
well as a mature woman, you know what I mean.
It's like, that's that's I think the core of creativity.
It's that child within, So you have the child still?
Is that? Keeping that alive I think is the key

(56:58):
to your success because to be that much of a
multi hyphen it means, you know, there's a book called
the One Thing. You should just pick one thing and
do one thing. It doesn't apply to you, right, but
it does in a way. No, because I live a
creative life. You you use creativity and everything you do,
and that makes everything available to you. It's why you

(57:18):
can jump from job to job basically and do really
well at it because it's o They're all tied by creativity,
and you're one of the most creative, actively creative people
that I've ever met. So I'm very proud. Well, directing.
Directing is like, you know, because I love to decorate
and design things. So directing is such a great thing

(57:39):
to do because you get to do all those things
I love, you know, costume design, production design. How is
a set going to function? You know how? You know,
for Amy, I wanted her to be the feminine aspect
of the film and gentle, and so I say, oh,
she has this gorgeous red hair. So when she makes
the first entry and let's put a sconce told Roy Walker,

(58:02):
you know, on the wall right there, to justify this
beautiful glow her back light. You know, that's that's the
fun of it. It's not just but you. You know
that you are into design and building as well, and
many other many talents, And in a way, because of
the way you were able to envision and manifest and

(58:25):
design and build, you've designed your career and your life.
You've built all of this yourself. So when I asked
the beginning, how are you able to do this? That
makes sense that you're able to build, design and see
what is needed, and then if it's not happening, you
fill that void yourself. Question. I try. Hi, I'm a

(58:46):
singer also, and I really believe you made me a
singer since I was a little girl. I just love
you so much. But anyway, I was just wondering if,
when you were a young girl, if you had a
barber or somebody like an idol that you would just
like thought. Did you look up to who it was
Johnny Mathis? Yeah, I just thought he was so beautiful

(59:10):
with those dark eyes. I'll never forget seeing him on
the Ed Sullivan Show when we first got a TV,
you know, and he had this gorgeous instrument, and he
was so soulful, and he seemed like he was in
pain a bit. I've always drawn to pain for some reason.

(59:32):
But yeah, that's was him. One last question there and
then we'll wrap it up. High. So I'm good to
have a man speak. That's great. No, I'm glad I
sound like one. Um. I'm glad I sound like one,
but I'm not offended if I don't sound like one. UM.

(59:54):
So far, I'm curious to know you say that you
wanted to be a classical actress, a classical actor, studying
and playing Ibsen and Chekhov and Shakespearean rules. Um. One
of your dream roles was to be Juliette, of course,
which I think you should totally still do. Um. You
know what, Sarah Bernhardt played her, but on the stage

(01:00:18):
I close. I'm curious to know if you still have
those desires or wishes or missed those opportunities as you
are now, or if the career that you've established has
compensated for that in any way. No, I still think

(01:00:38):
I could see the opening. I couldn't get the writer.
I wanted to do a piece about Sarah Bernhardt because
it was really basically to play those great roles. You know,
she played Hamlet, she played leg Long, the young Napoleon
in a sense a ciental, you know what I mean.

(01:00:58):
She played those men's were as well as Camille and
all those kind of great roles. So I think about it.
But it's so hard to get these things done today,
you know. I mean, you have to because part of
me says I'm lazy. I'm also lazy. I like to
do nothing. I like to garden. That's what I was

(01:01:20):
doing the last few days before I came here, you know,
placing plants, redesigning something in all white, always building, always designing,
always creating, and be left alone because it's hard to
be in the limelight. I don't really like stardom. You
have to understand that I really don't like it and

(01:01:41):
what comes with it, and I don't like all that.
Some people do. Some people really like that. I'm not
one of them, So I don't know what I'll do next. Well,
you show no signs of stopping ever. We just saw
her show. It was so funny. Aren's going? I asked,

(01:02:01):
do you mind if my mom meets you backstage? She says, oh,
I hope I have a voice left after the show. Okay,
well she'll do all the talking. To worry. We went
to the show and she just gave a magnificent concert.
We go in the back. I figure she would just
shake my mom's hand. Oh no, she fights us into
the dressing room. She's got curtains up, a film crew.
She sat and interviewed my parents for forty five minutes

(01:02:22):
after her show. Because I can't believe somebody has ten
children and you filmed it. It was like she had
her own talk show. Back fascinated Barbara after hours. It
was amazing. It's like I be she could be broadcasting
that show. It was so sweet. I was so amazed.
You just don't show any signs of stopping. Icon, legend, inspiration,

(01:02:42):
one of the most prolific and accomplished talents. She Gangsta
Barbara streisand the Tribeca Film Festival takes place every year
in New York City. To learn more about all of
our programs, was it trybeca film dot com