She has style, she has talent. And now, Fran Drescher has a new book.
“N Is for The Nanny,” available now, is an eye-catching picture book that teaches young readers the alphabet through references to the ’90s sitcom, which ran for six seasons on CBS. The book features illustrations by Gary Chestney of Fran Fine (Drescher), the outspoken Jewish nanny who stumbles into the care of the wealthy Sheffield family, with cheeky nods to her fabulous fashion (“A Is for Animal Print”) and quirky laughter ( “L is for laugh”).
“I thought it was absolutely charming and really captured the tone of the show,” Drescher says of the book, written by author Rebecca Kelly. “He asked me if I had any notes and all I said was, ‘Have the artist do the most delicate hands.’ “
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the book go to Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Movement, a nonprofit charity that promotes early detection and prevention of cancer through healthy lifestyles.
Drescher, 64, talks more about the organization and the enduring legacy of “The Nanny”:
Question: In the foreword to the book, you write how most people in medicine “focus entirely on curing the final symptom, which is cancer, but not on causation.” Is it something he wishes he had known during his own experience with uterine cancer 20 years ago?
Fran Drescher: I definitely know a lot more now than I did (then), about what I was bringing into the house that was toxic. I didn’t know there were differences between meats and produce, and what industrial farming is versus organic or grass-fed farming. And all the things he saw advertised on TV, like toothpaste that said, “Call poison control if you swallow it.” I began to wonder, “Why do we get sick in the first place?” That led me down a deep path of causality, because if you had an apple tree that was giving bad apples, you wouldn’t try to cure each apple, but you would go to the roots of the tree and try to figure out what the underlying problem is. This is something our western medical community fails at.
Q: “The Nanny” experienced a new wave of popularity last spring when it began streaming on HBO Max. Why do you think it resonates with a younger generation?
dressing room: Timing is everything. Millennials were kids when the show first aired on CBS. As they grew up and started having children of their own, they not only appreciated this classic TV show with nostalgia, but also (saw) it through a new lens as adults: they came to really appreciate all the double entendres, the gay the humor and of course, the costumes. Now (Gen Z) has picked it up and it’s all over social media.
I also talk very directly to my fans about things that matter, so I think my character (and I) have an authentic nature in common that makes people feel like I cover them. At this point, I’m active as an actor just to continue to have a platform where I can talk about the things that really matter to me.
Q: Is there a moment on the show that fans always ask you about?
Drescher: I am often asked if I could say, “Oh, Mr. Sheffield!” It’s that and my laugh. That’s what I call my seal act. You’d be surprised how many people come up to me and say, “Everyone says I sound like you. Everyone says I look like you.” Men too, it’s a lot of fun. And the drag queens who make me, Halloween (costumes) – it’s really a phenomenon. Peter (Marc Jacobson, co-creator of the show and Drescher’s ex-husband) helps keep track of many of the independent Instagram accounts (“Nanny”) and TikToks. We just saw a video of a 3-year-old girl in a zebra outfit, sunglasses, and a headband, with “Nanny” playing in the background. It’s amazing.
Q: The show had a lot of fantastic guest stars, like Elizabeth Taylor and Rosie O’Donnell. What do you remember about Elton John’s cameo in season 5, when Fran tries to hide from him after making a bad first impression?
Drescher: It took me a year or two to get him on the show. I have always supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation and we treat each other very well at all of their events. When his documentary “Tantrums & Tiaras” was coming out, his publicist said, “Maybe this would be a good time to put him on the show to promote the documentary.” There’s a scene (in the movie) where he throws a tantrum because he’s trying to play tennis and a fan starts going, “Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo!” So we thought it would be funny if Fran was actually the “Yoo-hoo” lady and she got into trouble when she got the chance to meet him through Mr. Sheffield. That was an amazing episode and I couldn’t have been nicer. We heard that he loves red roses, so we filled his dressing room with red roses.
Q: Are there any Fran Fine fashion trends that you see making a comeback right now?
Drescher: Some of the things she wore then are in fashion now, like shorts, over-the-knee boots, the classic black turtleneck. Now, even more than then, women wear large false eyelashes and hair extensions. “The Nanny” did that and didn’t apologize for it. Wearing clothes that are sexy and give you confidence, that’s a big part of “The Babysitter.”
Q: I’m really excited about the musical “Nanny” you’re writing with Peter and Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”). How’s that going?
Drescher: We can’t wait to get our production up and running. It is progressing at a very healthy pace. And (Bloom is) one of those millennials who grew up watching it. She totally understands voice and humor, and she was really the perfect person to write the lyrics for the show.
