Barbara Streisand published an official statement today in response to recent media buzz pitting her against gay rights activist and playwright Larry Kramer. The two prominent figures have been locked in a public feud regarding failed efforts to film Kramer’s celebrated play, ‘The Normal Heart.’
Since purchasing the rights to the play in 1985, Streisand has worked to bring Kramer’s tale of the dawning AIDS epidemic to the screen; but disagreements between the activist and the superstar stalled production and sparked accusations on both sides. Now, Streisand seeks to set the record straight, claiming that Kramer impeded her ability to make the film and reinforcing her dedication to the cause of gay equality.
Streisand explained, “When Larry now says I rewrote the script in order to make the woman doctor the star, marginalizing the gay characters, he is rewriting history.” Despite accusations to the contrary, she insists that her objective “was not to be in this movie.” Rather, she “only wanted to direct it” and “was willing to play the doctor only if that would help get it made.”
“At a time when we are all pulling together to achieve such giant steps toward gay equality, it is anguishing to me to have my devotion to this cause so distorted. I think my efforts for the gay community and my immersion in securing its constitutional entitlement and other equitable rights is quite evident and a matter of record,” she notes.
Streisand’s full statement, which is published on her official website, details the ten-year effort to turn ‘The Normal Heart’ into a movie and cites Kramer’s inflexibility in terms of adapting the screenplay and accepting modest financial offers as chief impediments to the film’s production. I think it’s unfair to blame me for the movie not getting made,” Streisand concludes, noting that “after all, Larry has had the rights for the last 15 years and he couldn’t get it made, either. Those are the facts, and none of this is news to Larry.”
However, the director also said “It’s been very hard for me to find a piece that I feel as passionate about,” and that “I will always believe in Larry’s play and its powerful theme about everyone’s right to love.”
