Barbra Streisand Dreams of a World Where ‘Prejudice Is a Thing of the Past’: SAG Life Achievement Award

Streisand said that although she didn’t look like the other women she saw on the screen and her mom told her she should instead learn to type, fortunately, she didn’t listen. Among the people she thanked was director William Wyler and cinematographer Harry Stradling from her first film Funny Girl, who asked for her opinions and adopted them. “They never ever put me down… And it set the tone for my whole career.”

She added: “It’s really a privilege to be part of this profession. For a couple of hours, people can sit in a theater and escape their own troubles. What an idea, moving pictures on a screen. And I can’t help but think back to the people who built this industry. Ironically, they were also escaping their own troubles.”

She named many of the men early on who established the film industry who escaped prejudice in Western Europe because of their religion. “They were dreamers like all of us tonight. And now I dream of a world where such prejudice is a thing of the past,” she said.

“Barbra Streisand is an icon and unparalleled talent, a force of nature who has seamlessly woven her brilliance through the fabric of our industry,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement. “From her earliest days captivating audiences on Broadway to her unforgettable roles in cinematic classics like ‘Funny Girl,’ ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘A Star Is Born,’ Barbra’s ability to inhabit her characters with authenticity is nothing short of extraordinary.”