Fran Drescher says she still fits into her 'Nanny' wardrobe — and has big plans for the show’s 30th anniversary
It's official: Fran Drescher has that same sparkle and stand-out style as she did in her The Nanny days.
The actress who played Flushing fashionista turned child caretaker Fran Fine, now 65, stole the spotlight at Sunday's Grammy Awards. In a shimmery Naeem Khan jumpsuit with tie waist, chandelier earrings and a glow you can't bottle, she had social media marveling — no small feat when there were some head-turning fashion moments.
Funny enough, one of the members of Drescher's style "A-Team" for the awards show was none other than The Nanny costume designer Brenda Cooper. Cooper wrote on Instagram that the look was "everything I envisioned!!!"
For the record, Drescher can still rock the outfits she wore on The Nanny, which aired from 1993 to 1999.
"I have a few pieces that still fit," she tells Yahoo Entertainment. "Some stretch pantsuits, some thigh-high boots, some coats, some turtlenecks, maybe a vest."
Drescher, who earned two Emmy nominations for the role she created, adds, "Brenda Cooper, who was the costume designer for The Nanny, has a lot more stuff," some of which they recently showcased for an Access Hollywood segment. Cooper is also "constantly giving style tips," including "all the things that she told me when we were doing [the show]," on her Instagram. That includes reviewing Fran Fine's looks from the show — and grading her efforts.
Nearly 30 years later, there's still such an interest in @WhatFranWore, which is an Instagram account which celebrates the character's style with over 361,000 followers. There's also The Nanny Exhibit, a touring show of Fran Fine's clothes, which were purchased by a fan during various resales, and now travel the world. Drescher is also behind a line of Nanny inspired clothes.
The show continues to have a life of its own. Among the places to watch Fran Fine fall for Mr. Sheffield (played by Charles Shaughnessy), includes COZI TV, which is NBC Universal's retro-TV network that airs classic shows. The Nanny is one of the most popular shows on the network, which recently marked its 10th anniversary.
As for how the show holds up three decades later, "Certainly the costumes are fantastic eye candy," she says. "The sets are beautiful. I think the sexual tension between the nanny and the boss is very provocative and alluring. And it's very well-written show," which she created with then-husband Peter Marc Jacobson.
She continues, "It's really laugh out loud comedy, which I think never gets old. Because it's character-driven — it's not really so much about the times that we were living — it almost has a timeless quality to it and a nostalgic element."
Drescher, whose Queens accent had a supporting role in the show, is touched that the children of viewers who first watched it the '90s have now found it themselves.
"It's extremely popular in many countries all over the world, both in different languages and in subtitles," she says. "So we feel just so proud and grateful that it's still so popular. And generationally, a lot of the people that were children growing up watching it now have children of their own and they're enjoying it. And it continues to have a big gay population of viewers."
Some of the people who watched it then are watching it again now, including Drescher's own parents, Sylvia, 88, and Morty Drescher, 93, who she says enjoy marathons on COZI from bed.
As for whether there's been movement on a potential reboot or revival of the show, she says the focus at the moment is something new for fans to mark the show's anniversary.
"It's the 30th anniversary coming this November," she says. "So Peter and I have a meeting with the president of Sony, our parent company, to see how we can make something fabulous happen that will be exciting and enjoyable for our fans around the world."
There are Instagram accounts devoted to Fran Fine's fashions from the '90s, including @WhatFranWore — including thigh-high boots, which she still rocks:
Drescher and Jacobson are currently working on the book for the upcoming The Nanny Broadway musical, which will have lyrics by Rachel Bloom. She's also acting in the upcoming V.C. Andrews movie Dawn on Lifetime and is president of of SAG-AFTRA, the largest labor union representing performers.
With all that going on, she shares her secret for staying fabulous at 65 — and it's all about an effort to keep stress at bay. The cancer survivor also is very conscious about using natural products (beauty products, household products and supplements) and eating organic feed to keep her body healthy, which she details on her Cancer Schmancer website.
"I think being able to say, 'No, that's not going to work for me,' or, 'This has to be put on a back-burner right now" is important, she says. "And really try and be in the moment and enjoy whatever you're doing... It's a daily practice and something that you have to remind yourself] several times a day."
It's not easy, she admits. "I often find myself stuck in a thought process and when I notice that ... I say, "OK, this is not serving me well. I'm missing out on my life.' It's so precious — life — that we can't afford to ruminate in our head unhealthy thoughts or rehash conversations or arguments or emails. So being in the moment — and trying to constantly get back to that — is your lifetime meditation."
