Long before Kourtney Kardashian took her vows in a Dolce & Gabbana mini dress last weekend, there was another petite, raven-haired American influencer who put the Italian luxury brand on the map for an entire generation. Indeed, Fran Drescher’s alter ego, “flashy girl from Flushing” Fran Fine, has won hearts, raised eyebrows and started countless fashion trends while leading The Nanny. It’s safe to say we’re still obsessed with her signature ’90s style, but beyond her character’s wardrobe, the 64-year-old series creator hasn’t missed a beat. important lessons to his audience. And now a new children’s charity book, titled N Is For Nanny, will make its messages prevail. This is how the project, which is on sale now with proceeds benefiting Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer Foundation, was born.

Tell us about the story of N is for nanny.
We have a support group of followers for Cancer Schmancer. They started out as enthusiastic fans of Fran Drescher and Fran Fine. People who have illnesses, or who have family members who suffer, were attracted to my foundation because they were already fans of mine. I’m a trusted brand so when I say “I’m a survivor” or “This is what I do and I want you to listen to me” it gets people’s attention because over the years they have come to know and trust me. The nanny a great success in Australia. The woman who wrote this book had her own health issues, and it was my positivity and empowerment that I pass on to my followers and supporters that really caught her attention and changed the way she felt and lived her life. , despite any health problems.

How?
Cancer Schmancer is all about detoxifying the house and making sure everyone is healthy, including the pet. This is what we do. We guide how our supporters think about their lives and whether they are contributing to their own illness or working for optimal health. She wanted to do more than support us, and she said I had the idea to do a children’s book. We were very touched. They funded the expenses, so 100% of the proceeds will go to Cancer Schmancer, who is so generous.

You have over 750,000 followers on Instagram alone. What do you think of social networks, do you like to share your life in this way?
You know, I really have no problem with that, except that it takes time! This is partly the reason why The nanny is enjoyed by multiple generations: the millennials who were the kids who watched and loved it were the pioneers of social media and as they got older they started to appreciate it from a whole different angle. They hear humor differently. They enjoy gay humor. They see clothes differently. Everything that went over their heads when they were children! These people started generating a lot of internal conversations on social media, which created a buzz, they started introducing it to their young children, and now you have Gen Z watching it on YouTube or Instagram or TikTok . It is really thanks to the explosion of electronics and social networks that this series, which was already classic TV, has transcended itself.

The account dedicated to profiling your outfits from the show is a favorite. How does it make you feel that the looks still resonate so much?
The character is cool. She’s irreverent, she’s her own person, and she doesn’t apologize for who she is. The clothes are off scale, and still not dated. People still wear the clothes that Fran used to wear. Designers who were rising in the 90s, like Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana, are bigger than ever now. Moschino even held a show where his entire collection was inspired by The nanny and Fran Fine. When you do something really funny and make people happy… it reminds you very subtly that it’s about Something. The overall message was that no matter how you look or how you sound, it’s what’s in your heart that matters.

Storylines were always pushing the envelope back then too.
We were the first show in the 1990s to have an interracial relationship, with Ray Charles and Grandma Yetta. I felt like the show was too white. We brought in Whoopi, Coolio and Bryant Gumbel. Then there is the whole gay side. There were a lot of shows that made gay people the brunt of the joke. But we’ve always elevated the gay community. From a social point of view, we did an episode where Fran didn’t cross a picket line, and where she didn’t wear a fur coat even though she had inherited one. Time and again the network asked us to do a Christmas special, which was very common, so we took the family to a kibbutz in Israel and had them speak Yiddish. It was simply revolutionary.

Beyond Cancer Schmancer, what are the causes that are particularly close to your heart these days?
Environmental causes. I am the National President of SAG-AFTRA. I started a green board, which is a merger of different entertainment entities. We have pivoted all entities within it to ban single-use plastic both on camera and behind the scenes. The entertainment industry is the biggest influencer. We have a responsibility to the planet and we need to make an impact for the greater good by normalizing eco-responsibility. We are the Jedis! Its important to me. I have also created a National Committee for Protection against Sexual Harassment. It covers the entire spectrum, from Harvey Weinstein or Roger Ailes type predators to the wolf whistle on set. At the top and bottom of the ladder, people’s safety and comfort zones must be respected. An elevation of consciousness must be brought in tune with the times and remain in the conversation.

What do you think Fran Fine would talk about?
She would be opposed to legislating on women’s bodies, which is also very important to me. For all those decades of trying to legislate the female body, which is a notoriously slippery slope to violence against women, they could have created a woman-friendly society where a woman feels supported from cradle to falls and encouraged to have a baby because she knows she won’t be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately, this option was never taken. It would have had a bigger impact on the numbers than anything else, but instead it became this terrible fight to take away a woman’s control over her own body. Fran would be there. She would be on social media and walking with women at the Women’s March and all over America. She’s always stood on the side of what’s right.

What motivates you these days?
I consider myself a Buddhist. It gives me a daily opportunity to be a better person; to digest this beautiful world in which we find ourselves on a journey of personal refinement. It gives me a positive attitude to see everything as an opportunity, and it helps me find the balance between everything [I have going on]. I’m not always perfect, but I pay attention and talk to myself, watch it, and then let go and say, “Look, it’s not over until you’re over it.” You won’t know everything. The next opportunity will come and you will do better next time. It was your learning opportunity. It’s a useful way for me to move forward in life.

What are you most proud of?
My parents are still alive. I love my gay ex-husband Peter and we are very creative together. I love my service dog who protects me and takes care of me. I saved her and she saved me! We are truly a dynamic duo. I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m blessed because I’m the president of SAG-AFTRA, the largest entertainment union in the world. It’s demanding, but I’m very good at it. I can draw on my past successes in DC for legislative matters that we’ve been trying to accomplish for decades. I will make big breakthroughs. So, it’s a fruitful period, and I’m also thinking about retiring eventually! I don’t want every decision I make to be determined by my commitments. [Right now] I can’t just hop on a plane to Paris because I have to go back to LA to speak at a coalition event against plastic pollution. I’m happy to do it, but I can’t wait to do what I want. And that day, God willing, will come, but on this day I have power, I have a voice, I have something to say and I have things to do. I’m just trying to balance it all out, so I don’t drain myself.

I have another question I’ve always wanted to know the answer to… were you able to keep the looks from the show?
First of all, a lot of things don’t suit me anymore! I don’t like wearing sleeveless anymore. That was 30 years ago – I’ll never wear hot pants again either! When I was younger, I never knew why people changed their style, but you naturally do as your body changes and you discover what expresses who you are now. I always like to look sexy and sophisticated but never ridiculous… I never want to look like I’m wearing last year’s mistake. I’m still kind of a fashion influencer. I have the waders and I have a few coats that I wore at the time, but for the most part not too much. These pieces, unfortunately, have not been recognized as something that should be archived. When they got rid of their wardrobe costume department, SONY sold things and people started collecting them. So they’re out!

[Editor’s note: Reruns of The Nanny are available on HBO Max and Cozi TV.]

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