The Actor Barbra Streisand Says Was Convinced She Wanted To Have An Affair

As Barbra Streisand was focused on Mandy Patinkin's performance in "Yentl," Patinkin was more interested in striking up something more romantic with his co-star, according to Streisand. In her memoir, Streisand revealed her dissatisfaction with Patinkin's portrayal of his leading character. Citing a scene just a couple of weeks into filming, according to The New York Post, Streisand wrote in her memoir: "I think [Patinkin] had two or three lines, but he wouldn't look me in the eye. He just stared at my forehead."

In an attempt to address the issue, Streisand said she called Patinkin in for a conversation, but things took a completely different turn. Streisand wrote that, once in her dressing room, Patinkin told her with a frown on his face, "I thought we were going to have a more personal relationship." Despite her shock, Streisand didn't want to make Patinkin feel bad. "Mandy, this kind of behavior can't continue. I'm prepared to replace you," she told him, omitting her lack of interest in a romantic entanglement, especially with a married man.

Although Streisand said that Patinkin managed to adjust his approach after the rejection, the dynamic between them shifted, and she couldn't execute the on-screen love story as originally planned, despite their apparent chemistry. Interestingly, in a Life magazine interview from December 1983, after the movie's release, Patinkin described Streisand as: "A guy. Period. I never thought of her as a girl."