Barbra Streisand discusses her long-standing struggle with stage fright, tracing its origins to her early experiences in "Funny Girl"
Barbra Streisand claimed that despite her illustrious career, her fear of forgetting her lines has plagued her performances. This worry first surfaced after her Broadway debut in "Funny Girl."
She claimed that her "Funny Girl" co-star Sydney Chaplin, the son of Charlie Chaplin, developed a deep-seated fear of live performances as a result of his off-script, on-stage antics.
"He continued whispering to me while we were on stage. avoiding making eye contact with me. You know, glancing at my hair or my forehead or anything. and conversing. Like a crazy person," she said to Gayle King, co-host of "CBS Mornings."
She remarked, "And it was driving me insane." "That threw me so off that I thought, 'What, what am I, what is my next line?'"
"I never lost that, that fear of performing, fear of forgetting my lines," stated Streisand.
The Oscar-winning singer and actress writes about her nervousness in her new memoir, "My Name Is Barbra," which hits stores this Tuesday. Due to her severe stage fright, Streisand missed almost thirty years of public engagements when she mispronounced some words at a 1967 concert in Central Park.
She also describes her childhood in her latest book. Having experienced the death of her father at the age of 15 months and been rejected by her mother, she attributes her desire to act to her search for acceptance and affection.
Even so, my mother told me, 'You'll never be a successful actor. I used to read movie magazines and kind of fantasize, like, 'Is it, wouldn't it be wonderful?'" she remarked. "You know, you're not pretty enough," or anything, I thought.
Her aspirations and commitment have come to fruition. Streisand has personally selected every element of her Malibu property, from her renowned garden to "the mall," which is home to interesting stores and an antique clothing area.
"I'm so finicky, and when I love something, I don't care how much it costs," she stated.
Actor James Brolin, who claimed to have asked Streisand to marry him three times before she accepted, recently celebrated 25 years of marriage to the singer.
"I had been literally— it's a wild word, but I had been celibate for three years saying, 'Who needs this?'" broke Brolin's silence about their early relationship. Having been married twice before, he expressed his desire to stay away from "getting involved in a lousy situation."
Brolin read her a letter at an anniversary party and said, "If you love spending time with someone, they are the right person for you." And I shall adore you then, when I finally leave."
"A place is not a home. "A person is home," he continued.
Regarding who would portray Streisand in a future movie, she hinted that she wasn't ready to consider it just yet.
"I don't know of anyone who can," she remarked.