Fran Drescher is best known for playing TV’s “The Nanny”. Currently, she’s starring on the TV Land sitcom “Happily Divorced”, and lends her iconic voice to Frankenstein’s wife Eunice in the animated “Hotel Transylvania”. Fran talks about working on “Transylvania” and reflects on 20 years since “The Nanny”:
LCJ: You have one of the most distinctive voices in the history of show business.
Fran Drescher: I really wanted to be an actress, and I was actually told by some of my acting teachers that I would have difficulty making it with my voice.
LCJ: Certainly because of your incredible voice you’ve gotten to do a lot of animated voice work. Overall, how much fun was it doing “Hotel Transylvania”?
FD: I really enjoyed it. I loved looking at my character and then breathing life into her. And I loved going to the Toronto Film Festival and being with all the other cast members. I’m going to have Molly Shannon guest star on “Happily Divorced” this season. It’s a very fun group of comic actors that I’m very proud to be a part of.
LCJ: I spoke with one of the producers of “Transylvania”, Michelle Murdocca, and she said there were some voice sessions where a lot of actors were in the studio doing their lines at the same time. Were you in a room with Adam Sandler, and Kevin James?
FD: No. Actually, I was always in a room by myself, as was Selena Gomez. I’m not sure why that was. But I think the SNL guys decided they would do a lot of the group and filler scenes. I’ve had so much going on between the series and the movie, and my organization “Cancer Schmancer”, and supporting our President in his re-election. It was all I could do to get there, lay down my work and get out.
LCJ: Are you a huge fan of the classic monster movies?
FD: I can’t say that I really am. I grew up watching a lot of the black and white movies and reruns. But I don’t like getting scared. What I like about this movie is that it’s not really scary – it’s family entertainment.
LCJ: Of course you’re still best known for “The Nanny”, which is actually coming-up on its 20th anniversary. Does it seem that long ago that you began the series?
FD: Nothing seems like the numbers, so it’s kind of hard to tell. You think, yeah – it was twenty years ago when we started. So maybe, because so much has happened since then, that it would have to take twenty years to fill it all. But it seems like an eternity. I don’t think that numbers quite call with me the way they do for other people. I can’t even fathom dates, age, all of that. It’s kind of bizarre to me.
LCJ: Back to “Transylvania”, what do you think of the movie?
FD: I thought it was absolutely delightful. It made me laugh out loud. I think the 3D animation is great. All the voices were funny and fun. And I loved the ingenue couple between the vampire and the human. I think Adam Sandler is hysterical, and the movie has a really good message.
LCJ: Are you planning on doing any more animated movies in the near future?
FD: If I’m asked, I will do them. I would love to.