Barbra Streisand Working on 35th Studio Album; Talks 'Being Difficult' Reputation

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, star of stage and screen Barbra Streisand shared that her long-standing reputation for "being difficult" is a label that is often given unfairly to women in the entertainment business.

The Oscar winner went on to share her first experience in the film industry as she arrived in Hollywood in the late '60's. "I committed a sin when I came to Hollywood [in 1967]because I came with a contract for three pictures, and I had never had a screen test," she explains. "So if there is such a thing as envy or jealousy, everybody was like, "Huh? Who is she?" I wasn't a proven factor. Nobody knew what I would look like onscreen or anything like that. [Producer] Ray Stark held a party for me, and Marlon Brando was there, and I think John Wayne and all these movie stars, directors and producers were there. I was late because I was scared. I sat in a corner, and I wasn't charming. But what does "difficult" mean anyway? If a man on a set says something - "I want to change this shot" - they do whatever he says. Now, if a woman asks..."

The article also revealed that Streisand is currently busy recording her 35th studio album, and that, while she doesn't really listen to the newest talents in pop music, she does admire Taylor Swift for challenging Apple over royalties.

Speaking about her upcoming 35th Studio album, Streisand shared, "I love doing my albums because I have a wonderful team that I work with. I have this idea for the album that I can't talk about yet. But there's no ego in it. It's like, I'll say something, they come up with something, and, "Oh! Ah! Go to the piano and try this!" It's like doing a play."

Read the interview in full here

Barbra Streisand is an icon, with award-winning success as filmmaker, actor, singer and composer. The three films directed by Streisand, "Yentl," "The Prince of Tides," and "The Mirror has Two Faces," received a total of fourteen Oscar nominations. Streisand won Oscars for Best Actress in "Funny Girl" and Best Original Song for "Evergreen." In 1984, she became the first woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Director, for the motion picture "Yentl." With that film she also became the first woman to direct, write, produce and star in a major studio film. One of show business' most highly-lauded stars, she is the only person ever to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Medal of Arts, and Peabody award, as well as the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement honor and the Film Society of Lincoln Center Chaplin Award. Most recently President Barack Obamaawarded Streisand with our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Gil Netter produced "Life Of Pi," nominated for 11 Academy Awards, Best Picture among them, winning four Oscars including Best Director for Ang Lee; "The Blind Side," also nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and winning Best Actress for Sandra Bullock; and "Water for Elephants" starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz. Netter's upcoming slate includes: "The Graveyard Book," directed by Ron Howard, "Just Mercy" with Broad Green Pictures, "The Glass Castle" for Lionsgate Entertainment, and "The Shack," based on the best-selling book, starring Academy Award®-winner Octavia Spencer and Grammy Award® Winner Tim McGraw.

Kristina Lauren Anderson was recently hired to co-write "The Black Count" with Cary Fukunaga for Sony. Her other projects include a Warner Bros and Di Novi adaptation of "Invisibility," Studio Canal's "Life and Death in Eden" with Grand Electric producing, and she recently sold a pitch to Paramount titled "The Briefcase."

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos