WEBVTT - Fran Drescher: Live at Lincoln Center 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.560 Welcome back to She Pivots. I'm Fran Drescher. 0:00:14.280 --> 0:00:17.880 Welcome to She Pivots, the podcast where we talk with 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:21.200 women who dared to pivot out of one career and 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:25.599 into something new and explore how their personal lives impacted 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:33.440 these decisions. I'm your host, Emily Tish Sussman. Today I'm 0:00:33.440 --> 0:00:37.600 delighted to share my interview with Fran Dresher, recorded live 0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:44.000 at Lincoln Center. Yes, Lincoln Center, Yes, Fran Dresher. I 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:46.280 grew up near Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.000 of New York and always attended the events, but I 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:52.360 never dreamed that I would someday be hosting a live 0:00:52.520 --> 0:00:56.640 podcast recording there. And fun fact, the venue where the 0:00:56.680 --> 0:01:00.160 live recording was held is where I used to vote. 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:03.480 A very full circle moment. For anyone who doesn't follow 0:01:03.560 --> 0:01:06.080 us on Instagram or read our newsletter, which, by the way, 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:09.320 subscribe to our newsletter, it's amazing and missed me gushing 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:12.480 about Fran, I'll give you a little refresh. Fran was 0:01:12.560 --> 0:01:15.000 best known for her role as Fran Fine in The Nanny, 0:01:15.000 --> 0:01:18.399 which she created, produced, and earned multiple Emmy and Golden 0:01:18.440 --> 0:01:22.360 Globe nominations for After success with the show, Her life 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:25.680 took a turn when she was diagnosed with uterine cancer 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:29.440 and altered both her trajectory and her perspective on life. 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:32.720 She went on to found Cancer Schmancer, turning pain into purpose. 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:36.360 As she famously says, she didn't stop pivoting there. She 0:01:36.440 --> 0:01:39.480 became the president of the Screen Actors Guild and American 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:43.240 Federation of Television and Radio Artists sag AFTRA, which came 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:46.640 full circle after her parents instilled in appreciation and passion 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:49.320 for unions in her at an early age. Like so 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:52.760 many of our guests, her life and experiences built upon 0:01:52.920 --> 0:01:56.320 each other, bringing her to perhaps one of the most 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:59.960 important moments in sag after history, the strike of twenty two. 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:04.560 She led the union in negotiating a historic deal, utilizing 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.120 every skill and lesson she had learned over the years. 0:02:07.520 --> 0:02:10.480 So if you're a friend fan, you already know this 0:02:10.560 --> 0:02:15.400 conversation was an absolute delight. She is unapologetically herself and 0:02:15.600 --> 0:02:16.919 unequivocally brilliant. 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:26.119 Enjoy good evening, everyone, Good evening, So nice to have 0:02:26.200 --> 0:02:29.600 you here at the David Rubinstein Atriam. My name is Jordana, 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:32.880 I'm the vice president of Programming here and we are 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:35.360 so thrilled to have you out for tonight's event. 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:36.680 So we're really. 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:38.839 Excited to be part of this podcast series that we're 0:02:38.880 --> 0:02:42.520 doing and to have she Pivots here tonight. I'm going 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:46.399 to actually introduce us now to our host. Emily Tish Susman, 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.799 is the woman who created she Pivots, and so I'm 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.120 very excited to share a little bit about her. She 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.600 has interviewed and uplifted the stories of so many amazing women, 0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:01.200 from Vice President Kamala Harris to Misty Copeland to Stacy London. 0:03:01.840 --> 0:03:05.440 She Pivots highlights the personal aspects of our pivots, and 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:08.560 we are so excited to be part of this furthering 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:13.800 important conversations and exciting stories. Please help me welcome Emily 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:15.320 Tish Susman to the stage. 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:19.000 Thank you so much for that incredible introduction. 0:03:19.960 --> 0:03:22.919 I could not be more excited to be at Lincoln Center. 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.560 As you guys heard, I'm Emily Tish Susman, the founder, creator, 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:32.080 and host of she Pivots, the podcast where we have 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:37.280 conversations about how the personal impacts the professional, and it 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:41.080 really could not feel more natural, more comfortable, and honestly 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:42.960 more flattering to be here at Lincoln Center. 0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:46.200 I grew up in this neighborhood. This is where I voted. 0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:50.040 So I think that basically really rings in full circle. 0:03:50.720 --> 0:03:53.840 And tonight we have I mean, talk about iconic New 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:59.080 York Right tonight we have the most iconic New Yorker 0:04:00.080 --> 0:04:04.680 we know and love her as Fran Fine, the lead 0:04:04.880 --> 0:04:06.760 character of The Nanny. Do we also know that she 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:10.480 created it? She wrote it. She was nominated for Emmy's 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.040 for Golden Globes for Best Actress. And she didn't stop there. 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:20.279 She started cancer Schmancer, having an impact on wellness, and 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:24.120 in twenty twenty one she became the president of Sagastrodom. 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:26.000 It makes me want to cry. Guys, I'm so improved 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:30.520 by fran Fine. She negotiated a moment that we all 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.520 needed hope and we all needed a future for the arts. 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:37.919 She was our leader. So I'm so incredibly honored to 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:41.800 welcome the real Fran Fine. And maybe she'll even laugh 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:46.400 for us. Fran Dresser, she. 0:04:48.240 --> 0:05:10.719 Rush to push, so st thank you, thank you, what 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:14.920 a warm welcome. Thank you all, thank you. 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:19.120 Okay, this is going to sound like a silly question 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:21.599 after that introduction, but this is for the people at home. 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:23.560 What is your name and what do you do? 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:28.240 My name is Fran Dresher, And what don't I do? 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:30.839 That's the real question. 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.000 But I'm best known for the role of the Nanny 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:40.240 on television. It's still playing after thirty years and stronger 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:45.120 than ever, quite honestly, and currently I'm the president of SEGA, 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:49.080 after the largest entertainment union in the world. 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:57.200 Okay, so take us back, young Fran New Yorker, but 0:05:57.640 --> 0:06:00.000 paint us a little picture, like what was it like? 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:02.520 Did you actually grow up in Flush and Queens. 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:07.120 Yes, there's a lot about the show that's based off 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:11.160 of my real story, and growing up in Flushing, Queens 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:16.560 is accurate. And those characters that we wrote about for 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:21.000 friend Fine were based off of all the joyful and 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:24.640 colorful characters that I grew up with. And I have 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:28.560 to say that it was a wonderful place to come from, 0:06:29.279 --> 0:06:36.400 and back then it was really a charming, little provincial town. 0:06:36.600 --> 0:06:40.440 And Simon and Garfunkle grew up in my neighborhood, and 0:06:40.600 --> 0:06:43.440 that song in My Little Town was based off of 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:44.880 where I grew up. 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:47.480 Oh, have you ever gotten to talk to them about it? 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:51.800 No, not about that specifically, but. 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:58.839 Paul Simon's mom was Peter Jacobson, my ex husband's first 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:03.800 grade teacher, and then she came to our wedding. So 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:08.960 all those years later, and Jerry Steinfeld came from the neighborhood, 0:07:09.000 --> 0:07:12.360 and we all went to Queen's College and Ray Romano 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:15.600 was in my graduating class at Hill Christ Tie. 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:18.680 Oh my god, your high school like dominated pop culture 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:19.800 for a period. 0:07:19.480 --> 0:07:22.440 Of time, I now, and a lot of people actually 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:24.239 came out of Queen Cyndy Lauper. 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:29.120 Well, so you mentioned Peter, Yeah, very night. So you 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.080 guys were high school sweethearts and married at twenty one, 0:07:32.440 --> 0:07:35.880 which seems young to me, Like did it feel normal 0:07:35.920 --> 0:07:36.520 to you guys? 0:07:36.880 --> 0:07:40.800 It felt normal at the time, but now it seems 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:42.360 way too young and crazy. 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:43.160 Yeah, and I. 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.920 Wouldn't rarely recommend it, But you know, back then, and 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:50.920 we're going way back, I think that we came from 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:55.800 a very traditional kind of background and people did get 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.600 married when they met their one. 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:03.080 Yeah, and you two moved to Hollywood together to take 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:05.040 it on. Did it feel like you kind of were 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:08.760 like partners in this joint venture like taken on Entertainment? 0:08:09.000 --> 0:08:09.920 Yes, always. 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:13.640 I mean we were written up about in the eighties 0:08:13.800 --> 0:08:18.000 as the next Lucy and Deisi so, and we really 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:21.920 hadn't accomplished anything then. It was just like a quirk 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:24.920 of faith that the writer met us and thought we 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:29.080 were adorable and sold the idea to New York Magazine. 0:08:29.160 --> 0:08:34.960 But it was really a decade later that we really 0:08:35.000 --> 0:08:39.240 did start functioning like Lucy and Deisi did by having 0:08:39.280 --> 0:08:43.920 our own show and going to the studio and producing 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:45.520 it and starring in it. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:47.920 All of that well, so set the scene for us, 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:49.359 like the early Hollywood. 0:08:49.480 --> 0:08:51.199 You've moved you. 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:54.840 You're getting situated. I mean, did you work other jobs? 0:08:54.920 --> 0:08:56.280 Did you start working with an actor? 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:56.839 Yeah? 0:08:56.880 --> 0:08:57.400 Did give us. 0:08:57.400 --> 0:09:01.120 I didn't work other jobs. I mean I did. I 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:04.640 did go to beauty culture school. I put in my 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.720 thousand hours in case the acting didn't work out, but 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:12.080 fortunately it did. But I used to cut my friend's 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:15.439 hair for like five bucks or something, and some of them, 0:09:15.559 --> 0:09:19.360 the struggling actors, I cut for free. And back then 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:23.920 it was you know, David Caruso and Dennis Quaid, and 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:26.120 I knew where everybody's. 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:26.520 Ball swat was. 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:34.360 But you know, I think that those were really wonderful years. 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.120 I mean, I think we all felt like we were 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:42.040 going to make it. Yeah, and we sort of gravitated 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:46.560 towards each other and it was just some I don't know, 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:50.079 I think that from my point of view, I. 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:53.640 Always felt like I should get. 0:09:53.440 --> 0:09:55.400 The job, and if I don't get it, they made 0:09:55.440 --> 0:09:59.400 a mistake. I always entered the room with a great 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:04.760 deal of com confidence and self assurance. And it was 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:08.440 at a time when the popular shows on TV was 0:10:08.760 --> 0:10:13.640 Welcome Back, Cotterer and Laverne and Shirley and Happy Days. 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:18.560 So there were those characters that were like urban, kind 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:24.480 of New York, flatbush, fungo type characters, and so I 0:10:24.679 --> 0:10:27.000 sort of fit right into that sweet spot. 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:29.319 And I started working almost immediately. 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:33.199 I mean I went out there to shoot American Hot Wax, 0:10:34.400 --> 0:10:37.320 playing opposite Jay Leno, who was then an unknown, young 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:43.040 up and coming comic, and that was a big rock 0:10:43.120 --> 0:10:46.760 and roll movie that we did together. 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:49.120 And that was kind of the beginning. 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.560 I went out there to do the movie for ten weeks, 0:10:52.040 --> 0:10:54.679 but that turned into a permanent residence. 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.959 Were there some of those relationships from like the earliest 0:10:59.080 --> 0:11:02.280 days that ended up becoming really fruitful for you later on? 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:12.120 Well, you know, I worked for CBS quite a bit. 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:15.360 I did this pilot that didn't get picked up that 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:19.719 pilot this guest role, a short lived series that went 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.320 nowhere up to four episodes, and you were thinking, oh, 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.600 those idiots, And I was thinking, you know, I'm done 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:32.680 playing the nutty neighbor. I'm done being now like the 0:11:32.679 --> 0:11:37.400 hooker with the heart of gold. And I really want 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:41.480 to get myself on the inside and develop my own 0:11:41.520 --> 0:11:46.000 brand of comedy and be in a star vehicle for me, 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:49.360 or I was going to get out of the business. Oh, 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.720 and I gave myself five years to get on the 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:54.439 inside in a big way, because you. 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.480 Know, struggling is not my gym. 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:03.800 I really had my heart set on success and if 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:05.840 I wasn't going to get it here, I would go 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:07.040 find it somewhere else. 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:10.920 But once I, you. 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:15.160 Know, manifested that I was going to create my own 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:21.160 show and actually become like Lucie Ball in those you know, 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:26.600 in that way, you begin to see the opportunities presenting themselves. 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:31.080 And I happened to be on a plane going to 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:35.320 visit a girlfriend by myself, which was the first trip 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:39.640 I'd ever taken to Europe all by myself without Peter, 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:45.439 and on the plane was the president of CBS, Jeff Siganski. 0:12:46.160 --> 0:12:49.480 So Jeff was somebody that was the president of CBS, 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:53.960 and he kept popping in to my radar because I 0:12:54.040 --> 0:12:59.000 kept doing all these little, you know, like performances, these 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:00.000 smaller parts. 0:13:00.080 --> 0:13:02.280 It's third bananas, we call them. 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.640 And he said to me, you know, I said, Jeff, 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:10.120 and he said Fran and I thought, thank you, Lord, 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:12.040 and I ran into the bathroom for some makeup on 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:15.760 and when I came out, I started talking to him 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:20.280 and I, you know, he said, oh this, we're doing 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:21.319 a ton of pilots. 0:13:21.760 --> 0:13:24.080 Something will come down the pike for you. I'm sure 0:13:24.080 --> 0:13:24.400 of it. 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:27.880 And I said, you know, you're never going to find 0:13:27.960 --> 0:13:31.640 anything that fits me hands in glove because I'm too unique. 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:35.040 And you should really listen to some of the pitches 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:37.720 that Peter and I have for me, because we know 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:42.000 my brand of comedy better than anyone. And nine and 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:47.440 a half hours later, he said, Okay, when we get 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:51.000 back to Los Angeles, call my office and I'll set 0:13:51.040 --> 0:13:56.000 you up with our head of comedy development. And on 0:13:56.120 --> 0:14:00.160 that trip, even though we had already been dabbling and developing. 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:00.320 I did is. 0:14:00.880 --> 0:14:04.880 It wasn't a nanny, but on the trip I was 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:07.600 spending time with Twiggy, the one and only who was 0:14:07.640 --> 0:14:10.960 in that short lived series with me and Julie Agony, 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:15.920 and I was staying with her and her husband and 0:14:15.960 --> 0:14:20.320 her daughter, Carly, who was like twelve ath time, and 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:25.280 Twiggy and her husband Lee were working, so Carly was 0:14:25.320 --> 0:14:26.920 free and I slept her. 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:28.440 All over London, you know. 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:30.680 All of a sudden, the kids says, oh, friend, my 0:14:30.760 --> 0:14:32.000 new shoes are hurting me. 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:34.760 And I'm thinking, what the hell is she telling me for? 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:38.880 And then I thought, oh, God, don't tell me she 0:14:38.920 --> 0:14:40.600 wants to go home, because we. 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:41.360 Just got here. 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.520 So I said to Honey, step on the backs of him, 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:47.960 and she says, innocently, won't that break them? 0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:50.000 And I said break them in? 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:53.920 And I thought to myself, Wow, this is a very 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:56.640 funny relationship because I'm not telling that what's good for her. 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:00.520 I'm telling that what's good for me. Oh, it's a 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:04.280 very unconventional caregiver. And I called Peter in the middle 0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:05.960 of the night because I couldn't get the idea out 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:07.680 of my head. And I said, then, what do you 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:10.800 think about a spin on the sound of music? Only 0:15:10.840 --> 0:15:13.040 he said at Julian Andres I come to the door 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:16.400 and he thought for a brief moment, but he has 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:19.000 a very good sense for these things, and he said, 0:15:19.040 --> 0:15:21.240 that's it. That's the one we'll pitch the CBS. When 0:15:21.240 --> 0:15:23.720 you come back, we'll develop it a little bit more 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:25.120 and we'll go in with it. 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.040 And that was the line that we. 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:32.640 Pitched to them, and they basically greenlighted the idea the 0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:33.680 day we pitched it. 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:36.960 I feel we've given a round of applause, like that's unbelievable. 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.880 Yeah, it's just you know, when it's right, it's right 0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:45.840 when it comes together, but you have to copy dim, 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:49.120 you know, right, And that's what's the most important thing 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:53.800 in life, is recognizing when opportunity knocks and then pushing 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:57.880 yourself into the situation and not getting in your way. 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:00.880 You know, that's a big lifeless and I learned very 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:04.760 early in my career, don't get in your way. Just 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:08.880 dive in headfirst, give one hundred and fifty percent so 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.440 you walk away without any regrets, and if you don't 0:16:11.440 --> 0:16:13.600 get it, you know, it's their loss. 0:16:13.800 --> 0:16:16.640 Yeah. I love that. But just for good measure, what 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:18.720 were some of the other concepts, just so we know. 0:16:20.280 --> 0:16:22.840 Well we were kind of doing. 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.600 We came up with an idea about all of these 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:27.840 couples based off of. 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:29.440 Our friends and us. 0:16:30.360 --> 0:16:33.240 And there was an older couple who was our manager 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:36.480 and her husband, and then there were a couple of 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:38.920 friends and they were all different and they were all 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.560 based off of our real life friends. But what we 0:16:42.680 --> 0:16:46.560 didn't know was that CBS was really searching for an 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:51.000 eight o'clock family show, and everybody was trying to get 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:56.320 into that nine o'clock nine thirty time slot that Seinfeld 0:16:56.360 --> 0:17:02.040 had really established and made very c it for writers 0:17:02.120 --> 0:17:05.560 to want to write in the Window because it was 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:09.879 able to be more adult. But when we pitched the Nanny, 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:12.280 they were thinking, oh my god, this is like eight 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:15.600 o'clock written all over it. It's got kids in it 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:20.160 and you know friend dresser. So it just was meant 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:20.359 to be. 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:26.679 But you did get some pushback from the studio. It 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:28.400 was meant to be, but you did get some pushback 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:31.560 from the studio about having your character be Jewish. 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:36.960 Well, it wasn't really the studio. We actually picked the studio. 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.440 They didn't sell it. We went straight to Network because 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:44.000 I met you know, Jeff on the plane. But Jeff 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:50.000 had called and called me and said we have the 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.479 While we were writing the pilot that we have an 0:17:53.520 --> 0:17:57.560 opportunity to sell the show outright to Procter and Gamble, 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.560 which is a great thing because then you know that 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:04.160 show's getting picked up because all the airtime is already 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.840 brought up by a major sponsor. And they would do 0:18:07.920 --> 0:18:12.520 that if the character was written Italian and not Jewish. 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:15.959 And we knew that we had to write the character 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:20.800 Jewish because it's a very fast medium, and so it 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:25.160 was very important that I'm able to place something that's 0:18:25.280 --> 0:18:29.800 riches specificity, which is my brand of comedy, not try 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:33.800 to be something that isn't really fit, you know, like 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:37.000 suits me hand in glove that I know without even 0:18:37.119 --> 0:18:41.360 thinking about it, without even trying to decide how I'm 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:43.320 going to do this or how I'm going to say that, 0:18:43.720 --> 0:18:46.560 and then writing it too. You know, we can write 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:50.119 our mother's voice with our eyes closed in our sleep, 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:55.320 but an Italian mom maybe not the same. So even 0:18:55.359 --> 0:19:01.000 though this was our big opportunity to do it our way, 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:04.760 and we knew that otherwise if it failed, we would 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.280 have that horrible feeling of regret. Why did we listen 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:12.080 to them? We should have followed our instincts. So I 0:19:12.200 --> 0:19:15.480 said that you know, fran Fine has to be Jewish, 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:18.600 and by the grace of God, they said okay. And 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:25.199 actually that character was the first openly Jewish lead in 0:19:25.280 --> 0:19:31.200 prime time played by a Jewish actor in nineteen ninety three, 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:35.760 since Molly Goldberg did it in nineteen forty eight. And 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:39.280 for all those years, they were feeling like it was 0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:43.280 gilding the lily and let's write it Italian or let's 0:19:43.320 --> 0:19:49.320 get you know, a gentile woman or man to play 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:53.720 a Jewish character, which he saw a lot of and 0:19:54.920 --> 0:20:00.320 Valerie Harper, you know, wasn't Jewish, and it just you 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:05.560 saw it over and over again throughout television. But this 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.680 was definitely the turning point. 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:13.479 Yeah, you and Peter worked together, you were married. Then 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:17.159 did it create I mean, what did you do to 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:19.720 your personal dynamic? You know, I'm going to keep bringing 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:22.800 it back to that. Yeah, what did the success of 0:20:22.840 --> 0:20:25.520 the show due to your personal dynamic? I mean, you 0:20:25.560 --> 0:20:29.680 were the star? Was that the relationship you had always had? 0:20:29.720 --> 0:20:30.880 Did it change your dynamic? 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:36.639 I know because he's you know, was always a producer 0:20:36.680 --> 0:20:41.960 and the head writer and executive producer, and he he 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:43.160 helped make me a star. 0:20:43.800 --> 0:20:45.080 He knows what. 0:20:45.320 --> 0:20:50.920 My strengths are and he works towards that. Yeah, so 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:58.280 I think that it was definitely a combined effort that 0:20:58.840 --> 0:21:03.959 took too Yeah, and so not to say that we 0:21:04.000 --> 0:21:07.680 didn't have some marital problems before the show began, and 0:21:07.720 --> 0:21:10.840 then when the show happened, that kind of went onto 0:21:10.880 --> 0:21:12.920 a back burner because it was so big and. 0:21:12.920 --> 0:21:17.160 Exciting and it was such a shift for us. 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:20.000 But over the years that the show was on the air, 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:25.320 the problems began to rear their ugly head, and eventually, 0:21:25.480 --> 0:21:28.919 by towards the end of the series, we had separated, 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:32.280 which made working together very difficult. 0:21:32.920 --> 0:21:35.600 But we didn't want to throw. 0:21:35.280 --> 0:21:37.560 The baby out with the bath water, and the show 0:21:37.720 --> 0:21:42.080 was our baby, and so we tried to keep it 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:44.840 healthy in spite of ourselves. 0:21:45.000 --> 0:21:48.080 Yeah, do you think I mean, it's very clear that 0:21:48.520 --> 0:21:52.240 so much of your personal life and your family impacted 0:21:52.280 --> 0:21:54.960 your professional life in creating the show and was reflected 0:21:55.000 --> 0:21:56.720 in the show. Do you think that it kind of 0:21:56.720 --> 0:21:58.440 worked in the inverse as well? Like, do you think 0:21:58.440 --> 0:22:01.960 that your personal life ended up being impacted by the show? 0:22:02.960 --> 0:22:06.000 I mean, look, when you have a huge hit and 0:22:06.080 --> 0:22:11.840 you become so famous so quickly, it's going to impact 0:22:11.920 --> 0:22:13.240 every part of your life. 0:22:14.359 --> 0:22:18.000 But we had a lot of famous friends. 0:22:18.040 --> 0:22:21.159 Even dan Ackroight had said to us when the series 0:22:21.200 --> 0:22:24.520 got picked up, and he said, you know, your lives 0:22:24.560 --> 0:22:28.439 are going to change, and you're going to put a 0:22:28.440 --> 0:22:33.960 lot of effort into protecting your privacy and your safety, 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:38.879 and just be aware of that and otherwise, you know, 0:22:39.000 --> 0:22:42.119 it can be a very fun ride, but you just 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:47.280 have to be able to find those times when it 0:22:47.320 --> 0:22:49.639 can be quiet and be private. 0:22:51.240 --> 0:22:53.560 The Nanny went on to become one of the most 0:22:53.600 --> 0:22:58.200 popular sitcoms of all time, but behind it all, Rand 0:22:58.200 --> 0:23:02.480 dealt with a series of extremely difficult experiences. Before the 0:23:02.520 --> 0:23:05.920 show even aired. Fran was the victim of a horrible 0:23:06.000 --> 0:23:09.640 and violent attack in her own home in nineteen eighty five. 0:23:10.440 --> 0:23:14.080 It was an experience that created emotional ripples throughout her life, 0:23:14.119 --> 0:23:17.040 and when we come back, Fran talks through how that 0:23:17.119 --> 0:23:21.200 experience and others shaped her perspective on life and ultimately 0:23:21.240 --> 0:23:29.359 led her to pivot. Now back to the show. 0:23:31.320 --> 0:23:33.800 You know, I was a victim of violent crime in 0:23:33.880 --> 0:23:37.840 my own home by a man who is on parole, 0:23:38.240 --> 0:23:41.720 and my girlfriend was there at the time, and Peter 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:44.720 was there at the time, and there was a horrible 0:23:45.680 --> 0:23:53.480 situation that really left us emotionally traumatized for a long time. 0:23:53.720 --> 0:23:56.159 But that happened before The Nanny. 0:23:56.440 --> 0:24:00.960 It was during the Nanny that somehow that story was 0:24:01.080 --> 0:24:07.080 exploited on some of those magazine shows on television, and 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:11.919 at that point people were watching it thinking that it 0:24:12.080 --> 0:24:15.280 just happened instead of like ten years earlier. 0:24:16.000 --> 0:24:19.359 And so I had a. 0:24:19.440 --> 0:24:24.399 Very visceral response to that, and almost I think I 0:24:24.440 --> 0:24:27.760 had a bit of a nervous breakdown because I think 0:24:27.800 --> 0:24:30.679 there was a lot about that experience I hadn't really 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:31.600 fully dealt with. 0:24:32.400 --> 0:24:33.200 And so. 0:24:35.000 --> 0:24:39.840 It was around that time that I had started therapy 0:24:40.560 --> 0:24:46.239 because the marriage was beginning to fail, and then I 0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:51.320 was fortunately already in therapy where I could really discuss 0:24:52.000 --> 0:24:56.520 what went down and try and identify how it's impacted. 0:24:56.000 --> 0:25:01.000 My life now. And even years after that. 0:25:01.520 --> 0:25:05.640 I realized that I don't do a lot of things 0:25:05.720 --> 0:25:09.399 by myself, and I never had connected it to that, 0:25:10.160 --> 0:25:15.239