Fran Drescher Reflects on ‘The Nanny,’ ‘Indebted’ and More for ‘In My Own Words’
Funny, honest, inspiring. Fran Drescher is all three in the compelling biography Fran Drescher: In My Own Words, which chronicles her rise from a beautiful 9-pound, 2-ounce newborn who charmed strangers in the hospital nursery to co-creator and star of the hit ’90s sitcom The Nanny.
Also bravely detailed: her history as a survivor—after a 1985 sexual assault, a bitter 1999 divorce and a 2000 uterine cancer diagnosis. Drescher opens up to us about a wide range of topics.
On claiming that winning the Miss Teen New York pageant in 1973, when she was the first runner-up, was the way to get an agent:
I had such a clear goal at such a young age that I just saw the pageant as a stepping stone.
On considering quitting acting before The Nanny:
I did a pilot where I was miserable playing, like, the third banana. I gave myself five years to either go inside in a big way and take control of my own destiny, or get out and do something else.
On the attitude that helped her get through tough times:
I call myself a Buddhist Jew. Part of the Buddhist philosophy is that bad things happen to good people, but how we get through it is what makes all the difference.
On the recent cancellation of the NBC sitcom Indebted:
I was kind of relieved because I really like directing. Sometimes we think, well, maybe at this stage I just need to show up and I don’t have all the pressure of running things. But for me, the pressure of being silenced is even greater.
On her proud parents, Sylvia and Morty, who stole the show:
My mom is in her 80s, my dad just turned 90. I asked for all the footage because [they were interviewed] for hours. To have that for posterity, that alone was worth it.
