Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1514720
S A G A F T R A .O R G S AG - A F T R A S PEC I A L IS S U E 2 0 24 80 1983, Streisand made history for being the first woman to write, produce, direct, sing and star in a major Hollywood film — Yentl — for which she won Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the first-ever Golden Globe for Best Director awarded to a female director. In an interview with Gayle King for CBS This Morning, Streisand said what she likes about directing is "helping actors achieve a performance that I have in mind for them." Her dedication to extracting nuance and specificity from her cast has resulted in many of them delivering the best work of their lives. The legendary Lauren Bacall finally received her first Academy Award nomination of her more-than-50-year career aer being directed by Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces. In her Golden Globe acceptance speech, Bacall praised Streisand's filmmaking. "Had it not been for her," Bacall said, "I wouldn't be standing here now. It's because of the way she directed this movie and my part in particular." All along her journey, Steisand has received pushback from naysayers. Aer proving her mother wrong by achieving stardom, she's faced criticism that would have never been experienced by male performers. In a 2017 conversation with director Robert Rodriguez at the Tribeca Film Festival, Streisand said she "directed because she couldn't be heard." In her memoir, Streisand details a key memory when she begged director Sydney Pollack to return two key moments that had been cut from The Way We Were. She said it was essential they be put back into the film to show the reasoning behind the shi in the characters' relationship. "I felt absolutely powerless," Streisand wrote. "My mind just flashed back to that moment as a young girl, standing in my mother's bedroom doorway and being ignored. Once again, I felt unseen and unheard." That drive to actualize the yearnings of her voice and imagination ultimately led to her taking the reins of her own projects, resulting in undeniable commercial and critical success. Such self-determination has succeeded in making her one of the most powerful individuals in show business. Though her reputation as a perfectionist is legendary, she believes sexism is why she's been snubbed for a Best Director Oscar nomination, even though her directorial efforts Yentl and The Prince of Tides received nominations in other categories. Though she was heartened that being passed up helped to put more of a focus on the discrimination experienced by female directors, the pain did have a lasting effect. "I must have been more hurt than I thought," Streisand told Rodriguez, "because I didn't want to direct for years." When talking to Stephen Colbert in November 2023 about the rise in antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, Streisand asserted that her motivation to create beautiful art is related to the sadness she sees in the world. "We can create stories that are more palatable to the audience, in a sense, and teach the lessons.