Barbra Streisand's new memoir, "My Name is Barbra," is full of revelations and reflections on her life, including some words of wisdom from another Hollywood icon.
In excerpts published in People, Streisand recalls her friendship with Judy Garland, with whom she performed on "The Judy Garland Show" in 1963.
"People were looking for some sort of rivalry between us," Streisand wrote. "And when they couldn’t find anything, they made it up."
"I found Judy to be completely generous," she continued. "We sang a medley of songs, taking turns, and she wasn’t just focused on herself. She watched me and responded to me. She would reach out and brush back a strand of my hair, like a mother."
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According to Streisand, Garland’s daughter, Liza Minnelli, said that "her mother’s first reaction on hearing me sing was to say, ‘I’m never going to open my mouth again.’ She was like that, very self‑deprecating. And deeply vulnerable."
The stars became friends, and Streisand shared an encounter at a party that the "Funny Girl" star was throwing that would have deeper meaning for her later.
"I remember her saying something I never quite understood: ‘Don’t let them do to you what they did to me.’ I should have asked her what she meant, but I didn’t want to appear too nosy."
"Six years after we did ["The Judy Garland Show"], she was dead at the age of forty‑seven," she continued, adding, "What a tragedy… and such a loss. She was an extraordinary talent."
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Another excerpt from Streisand's book detailed a very different friendship between herself and Marlon Brando.
In the portion published in People last month, the "The Way We Were" star revealed that at a party, Brando "looked into my eyes and said, ‘I’d like to f--- you.’"
Displaying her quick wit, Streisand recalls replying, "That sounds awful," forcing Brando to switch tactics.
"After a moment of thought, he said, ‘Okay. Then I’d like to go to a museum with you,’" she wrote, adding, "Now that’s very romantic. I’d like that." He’d hit on a fantasy of mine… to walk through a museum with someone I was very attracted to and look at great art… exploring it together."
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But there was one issue: They were both with other people.
"Then I remembered his wife in the other room," the 81-year-old wrote, asking why he had married her, noting, "Marlon and I didn’t mince words."
She continued, "He looked toward the other room and said, after thinking about it, "She’s like a ripe piece of fruit."
Streisand said she "knew exactly what he meant. She was luscious, but was that enough?" and they continued talking about marriage and relationships.
Then he surprised her again when he told her he thought she’d break up with her then-husband, Elliot Gould, because "‘He’s not good‑looking enough for you.’"
Streisand and Gould did eventually divorce after having one son together, Jason. She later married James Brolin in 1998.
In another excerpt, she explained why she thinks their relationship has lasted the past 25 years.
"I think the real reason our relationship has endured is that we’re both willing to work at it," she wrote. "Jim and I are very different. As he’s said to me, ‘You’re an expert at looking for what’s wrong, while I’m just happy to wake up in the morning.’"
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She added, "He’ll live much longer than me. He keeps saying he’s going to live to be 100, and recently upped it to 110. He probably will, with that attitude."
Despite all her success, Streisand also shared that the criticism of her nose she faced early in her career is still with her to this day.
"I wish I could say none of this affected me, but it did. Even after all these years, I’m still hurt by the insults and can’t quite believe the praise," she said.
She continued, "I guess when you become famous, you become public property. You’re an object to be examined, photographed, analyzed, dissected… and half the time I don’t recognize the person they portray. I’ve never gotten used to it, and I try to avoid reading anything about myself."
The "Hello, Dolly!" star said she had been told by "several people" that she should get a nose job.
"I thought, Isn’t my talent enough? A nose job would hurt and be expensive. Besides, how could I trust anyone to do exactly what I wanted and no more? I liked the bump on my nose, but should I consider a minor adjustment… just straighten it slightly at the bottom and take a tiny bit off the tip?"
She also worried about the effect it could have on her singing voice, recalling that a doctor had once told her she had a deviated septum, leaving her wondering, "Maybe that’s why I sound the way I do."
Streisand ultimately never went through with surgery, adding, "Besides, I liked long noses."
