BARBRA: Why do I get attacked? I’m a woman, I’m an actress, I’m a Jewess, I’m a liberal and proud to be one ...I’m an easy target, like Hollywood is an easy target. You know, Bob Dole talks about Hollywood and he grabs the headlines he wants. He’s running for president and everybody tunes in when it has to do with Hollywood. It’s glamorous, it’s--
KING: Easy to knock?
BARBRA: Very easy to knock ... what disturbs me is this blanket denunciation of an entire industry that has wonderful filmmakers and wonderful recording artists that give a lot to the American public and that make films that uplift the spirit and that are life affirming and that give people a lot of joy. So I’m against the hypocrisy, I guess, the hypocrisy in what he says. In other words, if he’s against violence why is he for putting more guns on the streets? Fake guns in the movies don’t kill, real guns in schools and in the streets do kill.
On her interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, in which his line of questioning made Barbra cry on screen:
BARBRA: I think he has a bit of a mean streak, sad to say. It was interesting, because the day after the show he wanted to know what I thought of it. I was in shock in a sense, although as a director l could appreciate the theatrics of it, you know. There were moments caught that were very real. So I said I would have to think about it. I didn’t like it, but I could appreciate the drama. The thing that really offended me was the week after the show he had some letters that said he was very mean to me and so forth and he said, “well, I talked to Barbra and she really liked it.” And then I felt like I was date-raped... that was a violation of what I said to him.
On Future projects:
BARBRA: I’m making two movie here... the first one is The Mirror Has Two Faces
it’s because I couldn’t raise the money for my other film called The Normal Heart, which is about AIDS. And one of the things I feel passionate about is raising money for AIDS... I couldn’t raise enough money for this movie and I couldn’t get certain actors to commit in this time period, so it’s going to have to wait until next April.
On her movies:
KING: Is [The Way We Were] one of your favorites?
BARBRA: Yeah. I had a wonderful time making that movie.
KING: Because of Redford?
BARBRA: I loved working with him. I loved working with Sydney Pollack. I loved the script. I loved the story. It’s a wonderful story.
KING: Any movie you made you regret?
BARBRA: What a terrible thing to ask me. Yes, there are several movies I regret, but then don’t I hurt the filmmakers and people?
KING: Yeah, but there are some.
BARBRA: Uh, huh.
On her note-taking during the interview:
KING: You like writing better than anything else, right?
BARBRA: I like it better than talking, I’ll tell you that, yeah.
KING: Read something you wrote. Take something out of the journal and read it.
BARBRA: These are thoughts that I have. (reading from her journal)—“If I came to DC to say we need a trade war with China because they’re ripping off my CD’s and movies, everybody would say, ‘Good for her, she’s a business woman looking out for her own interests.’ But somehow it’s hard for some people to conceive of the fact that I’m interested in money for AIDS research, or that I care about children and education or the environment. It seems that it can’t be processed if there’s no self-interest. Except that the self-interest is that it makes me feel good.”
KING: Do you think that has to do with being a woman as well?
BARBRA: I think that what happens is that there is a need to discredit the accomplishments of strong competent women. I think that society isn’t quite ready for her, you know, she’s still a threatening figure in our cultures.
Closing the interview:
KING: Are you happy?
BARBRA: I’m happy.
KING: (to camera) Barbra Streisand ...
BARBRA: (joking) Happy it’s over...
