In her new documentary, “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story,” Liza Minelli shared what it was like after her mother passed away in 1969. The 78-year-old actress shared the highs and lows of her life in the documentary which premiered on June 12th at Tribeca Film Festival. Her lowest point in her life was the death of her mother, Judy Garland. Minelli was 23 when her mother passed away from an accidental barbiturate overdose at the age of 47. “My mother? Nah. She’s never gonna pass,” the actress recalled thinking. It took time for the devastating news to set in, but once it did, Minelli cried for days. “I didn’t stop for about eight days,” she revealed. “It was just devastating to me.” Her friend Michael Feinstein added, “Her mother passing was a catastrophe.”

The documentary also revealed many other pieces of Minelli’s life that the public didn’t know much about such as the actress almost passing on her “Cabaret” role. Minelli originally auditioned for the Broadway production before it was made into a movie. “I lost the role,” she explained in the documentary. Instead, Jill Haworth starred as Sally Bowles in the 1966 musical. Years later, Minelli “fought” for the screen role, revealing that she almost lost out on the part because she declined nudity in the role. Minnelli said he asked her, “How do you feel about going topless?” She declined but still got the part. At the age of 19, Minelli went on to win an Oscar for best performance as Bowles in “Cabaret.”

Minelli also opened up about her substance abuse, saying she convinced herself that she didn’t have a problem. “I didn’t feel like I had a drug problem,” Minnelli said in the film. “I’d drink silly drinks like rum and coke.” Minelli developed a valium addiction following her mother’s death, which led to multiple stints in rehab, her most recent being in 2015. “Liza Minnelli has valiantly battled substance abuse over the years, and whenever she has needed to seek treatment she has done so,” a representative for Minnelli said at the time. “She is currently making excellent progress at an undisclosed facility.”