Barbra Streisand Delivers A Heartbreaking Tribute With “The Way We Were” At The Oscars

Streisand’s appearance on the broadcast had been widely rumored, yet it still delivered a powerful surge of energy the moment she stepped on stage. Her presence carried extra weight, as she has largely stepped away from live performances in recent years, following a limited run of shows in 2019 after concluding her “The Music… The Mem’ries… The Magic!” tour in 2017. She has often spoken openly about how performing live gives her “the willies,” making the moment feel even more unexpected and meaningful.

“After I read the first script of ‘The Way We Were,’ I could only imagine one man in the role and that was Robert Redford,” Streisand began. “But he turned it down because he said the character had no backbone. He doesn’t stand for anything, and he was right. So many drafts later, Bob finally agreed to do it. He was a brilliant, subtle actor, and we had a wonderful time playing off each other because we never quite knew what the other one was going to do in a scene. And I’m thrilled that ‘The Way We Were’ is now considered a classic love story, but it’s also about a dark time in our history, the late ’40s and early ’50s, when people were informing on each other and subject to loyalty oaths.”

“Now, Bob had real backbone on and off the screen. He stood up for freedom of the press, protected the environment, and supported new voices through his Sundance Institute, many of whom are being recognized tonight. He was thoughtful and fearless. I once called him an intellectual cowboy who carved his own path. He later won the Academy Award for best director, and I miss him now more than ever. He loved teasing me too. He’d call me Babs, and I’d say, ‘Bob, do I look like a Babs? I’m not a Babs, you know.’ But the way he said it always made me laugh.”

“Years later, we were talking on the phone about everything we usually did — politics, art, our favorites — and as we were about to hang up, he said, ‘Babs, I love you dearly and I always will.’ And in the last note I ever wrote to him, I ended it with, ‘I love you, too,’ and signed it ‘Babs.’”

There was already a history of Streisand revisiting “The Way We Were” at the Oscars, having previously performed it in tribute to composer Marvin Hamlisch during an earlier ceremony. That connection added another layer of meaning to this performance, linking past tributes with the present moment.

When Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89, Streisand shared a heartfelt reflection, remembering their time working together on the film. She described those days as exciting, intense, and filled with joy, highlighting the contrast between their personalities and how that dynamic brought their performances to life on screen.

She also recalled one of their final meetings, when they spent time discussing art and even decided to exchange their earliest drawings with each other. It was a small, personal detail that captured the depth of their connection and the respect they shared beyond their work in film.