TV’s favorite nanny, Fran Drescher, spoke at the SCAD Museum of Art last Tuesday as part of the Performing Arts Department’s Studio Series Lectures. Drescher is an actor, producer and writer who rose to fame in the early 90’s when she starred in her own show “The Nanny.” She is the first special guest in SCAD Performing Arts’ Studio Series lectures of this school year.
Drescher detailed the story of how she met the president of CBS on a flight to France, where she pitched herself as a viable writer and comedian. He was familiar with her previous work, and saw her persistence, and asked her to have a pitch ready for him when they returned to the states. Drescher mentioned her persistence, saying, “I didn’t wanna see myself turning 40 and being like, where’s my next paycheck coming from.”
During her time in Europe, Drescher was inspired by her own experiences to develop the concept of “The Nanny,” describing it to her then-husband as “a spin on “The Sound of Music,” only instead of Julie Andrews, I come to the door”
But it wasn’t smooth sailing from there; during the development of the show Drescher had to fight as a producer to keep certain actors and attributes, and to keep her character Jewish. “I knew this was my big break, but I also knew not to compromise my vision, ever.”
Since the hit sitcom aired, Dreshcer has produced and starred in three more original shows as well as published three books. Drescher also revealed she recently finished pitching a show to HBO titled “Two Awful People.”
Drescher stayed to answer a few questions from the attending students, after a quick reminder to stay away from plastic bottles as “every bit of plastic that has ever been manufactured is still on this earth today.” She went on to comment on working on a show with a significant other, the possibility of returning to theater and directing as an actor.
Fran Drescher was an icon and an innovator for women in television, not only as a producer but as an artist. Though it would have been easy for her to back down, she knew that she had to “trust her gut” and “stick to the vision.”
Written by Rummel Medina.
Rummel is a Film and Television major from Caracas, Venezuela. He is in charge of coordinating and editing District’s audio and video content. He is also a co-host of District’s advice podcast The Mutiny!
