Barbara Streisand is responding to outcry over the revelation that her two new puppies are cloned from her late dog Samantha by revealing she did not clones two puppies – she cloned four.
The actress and singer wrote a brief piece for The New York Times in which she explained how she came to own the three Coton de Tulears who currently reside with her at her Malibu compound.
This all comes after she told Variety that her puppies Miss Violet and Miss Scarlett were made from cells that were extracted from Samantha, who passed away at the age of 14 last year.
Beloved: Barbara Streisand revealed in an interview earlier this week that two of her puppies were cloned from cells of her late dog Samantha (above with Streisand and Diane Sawyer in 2005)
Basket of joy: She is now revealing that four puppies were successfully cloned from the cells of her late dog, a curly-haired Coton de Tulear (cloned dogs above)
‘I was so devastated by the loss of my dear Samantha, after 14 years together, that I just wanted to keep her with me in some way,’ explains Streisand.
‘It was easier to let Sammie go if I knew I could keep some part of her alive, something that came from her DNA.’
The Oscar-winner then reveals that cells were taken from Samantha’s stomach and cheek, and sent to ViaGen Pets in Texas.
In the interim, Streisand adopted a rescue Maltipoo named Sadie, saying she was given no guarantee that the cloning process would be successful.
Her rescue soon had company though when Streisand got a call from the breeder who gave her Samantha.
‘I know how upset you are. If you’re interested, I have this little puppy, the only one in the litter, and her mother’s name is Funny Girl,’ Streisand was told, and believing it was fate took in her second dog, Miss Fanny.
That dog is a a straight-haired Coton de Tulear, which Streisand claims ‘most people want.’
Puppy love: Streisand with her first dog Sadie, who was a gift from the cast of Funny Girl (above in 1965)
Things were going well with her two dogs when Streisand finally received a call from ViaGen, who informed her that four puppies were successfully cloned from Samantha’s cells.
The runt died before she received her new curly-haired Coton de Tulears.
Five dogs were too much for Streisad to handle however, so she gave away her Maltipoo Sadie and one of the clones.
That left her with Miss Fanny, Miss Sadie, and Miss Violet.
‘You can clone the look of a dog, but you can’t clone the soul,’ writes Streisand to close out her piece.
‘Still, every time I look at their faces, I think of my Samantha.’
Streisand was being interviewed for Variety in light of the recent #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
Given her vaunted status in the industry, and the fact that she was the first major female star to successfully transition into the role of director with her 1983 film Yentl, she was asked to comment on the movements.
She won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Director for her rookie effort, but received no love from the Academy.
‘It was strange,’ recalls Streisand of the snubs, with the film failing to receive nods for Best picture, Best Director or Best Actress.
‘I didn’t mind it for one reason: It really showed the sexism. I thought by not being nominated, I put a spotlight on the issue. I thought, “Wow. This is so transparent.”‘
Heart goes on: Celine Dion with Streisand and Samantha in 2005 at a fundraiser for the Andre Agassi Founbdation (above)
And, like so many actors have done over the past few months, Streisand also shared her own story about Harvey Weinstein.
‘I thought he was vulgar,’ she said, recalling his anger after she refused to perform a song on the soundtrack for his Broadway production of Finding Neverland and accompany him to opening night.
She claims Weinstein responded by saying he would not work with her or send screeners of his company’s films to her home.
‘That kind of stupidity. So I thought he was a boorish guy,’ said Streisand.
She is still waiting for a good project to direct, saying she had been interested in doing Hidden Figures but it did not work out due to timing, and is on the hunt for another film.
Streisand also says there are only two roles she will play at this time, French actress Sarah Bernhardt and Mama Rose in a big-screen adaptation of Gypsy.
She spends her time on other hobbies now at her Malibu estate, where she lives with husband James Brolin and her now famous cloned dogs.
‘They have different personalities,’ said Streisand.
‘I’m waiting for them to get older so I can see if they have her brown eyes and her seriousness.’