Barbra Streisand Talks 'Little Fockers' and Details Her 'Passion for Design'

Dec. 15, 2010 — -- Entertainment legend Barbra Streisand has done it all.

During her career spanning five decades, Streisand has conquered the big screen, the Broadway stage and the recording studio -- creating hit after hit and selling out concert tours around the globe.

She had strong motivation to make it in the business: She didn't like to make her bed.

Laughing, she recalled standing in her $60-a-month apartment and looking "at this messy bed.

"I mean, I changed the sheets. I went to the Laundromat on Ninth Avenue and so forth," she said from her Malibu, Calif., home in a one-on-one interview with "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts. "But I never, I-- I never learned how to tuck a corner in or anything like that, you know? And I thought, 'God, I gotta make it in order to get my bed made.' You know, it's a simple thought."

Her work paid off. The singer/songwriter, actress and film producer has earned an Academy Award, multiple Grammy Awards and other top industry and peer accolades – all while maintaining her commitment to civil rights activism, philanthropy and a campaign to fund heart disease research.

Now she's adding another title to her long resume of achievements: best-selling author.

In the interview that aired today, Streisand talked to Roberts about her career, new movie and passions.

Her new book, "My Passion for Design," details her eye for aesthetics, along with her love of art and early American architecture. Her newest home, dubbed "The Barn," showcases American design and craftsmanship, and comes complete with an extensive doll and vintage clothing collection and a movie screening room.

The residence was showcased in a limited-edition DVD.

"What was going through your mind in creating all of this?" Roberts asked her.

"Hmm. Well, first of all, a movie that I was gonna do fell through. So I had the need for a creative expression. And I was stalling building the house since 1994," she said. "But then I kept thinking about, 'I could actually have a piece of the Northeast without having to move back there,' 'cause I like living in California. And this became my art project."