Babysitter Fran Drescher has revealed the brazen gag she made on stage in front of the late royal that left her “laughing and slapping her on the knee.”
Numerous celebrities starred in the hit comedy The Nanny, but there was a legendary star who managed to surprise Fran Drescher.
The actress, who played Fran Fine on the iconic show from 1993 to 1999, hosted many stars on the set, but there was one in particular that made a lasting impression.
“Everyone was always very nice,” the 64-year-old said Fox News. “But Elizabeth Taylor was very warm, very generous. She sat on the couch on the set and whoever wanted to sit behind her and take a picture with her could. And the set photographer did so much for the cast. as for the team. She was very welcoming to everyone. “
“But the funny thing is, if you wanted a photo, you had to pay for the retouching,” Drescher laughed. “Renee Taylor, who played Sylvia Fine, the babysitter’s mother, on the show, said, ‘I’ll pay for it, but make sure you give me what Liz is getting!’
Drescher also had fond memories of the Rocketman.
“It took us a long time to get Elton John, but in the end we got it,” Drescher said. “We were told that she liked red roses in her dressing room, so we filled her dressing room with red roses. It was just covered. He was really flattered. And it was a wonderful episode. But we were sincerely grateful to have any of these stars on the show.
“It simply came to our notice then. [The character] Mr. Sheffield was working in the entertainment world, so it made a lot of sense to find names. And it was easy to do. We could invent whatever we wanted. It was never the main axis of the story. These stars always set in motion something that complicated Fran, and she always got into trouble with Mr. Sheffield.
After leading a successful career for decades, Drescher was honored this week at the Hollywood Museum along with Michael Feinstein and Geri Jewell of The facts of life fame at the launch of the “Real to Reel” exhibition in collaboration with board member Mitch O’Farrell.
The exhibition, which celebrates LGBTQ Heritage Month, aims to “tell the story of the milestones and influence that LBGTQ characters and plot lines have had on Hollywood from early stereotypes to current representations.”
Drescher said she is grateful for the recognition and for her many accomplishments along the way, including the encounter with Princess Diana.
“We were both at the CFDA Awards in New York, and I was a presenter,” Drescher recalled. “At the time, Mr. Blackwell had a best-dressed list and the worst. She was on the best-dressed list, and I was on the worst-dressed list. I remember she was left in the middle of this cocktail and probably there were 100 people crammed into this single room.
“I had a woman by my side who knew everyone in the room. Well, I went to her because there was no way she would let me be intimidated. I was going to cut the crowd and get to her because that was probably mine. “It’s the only opportunity. And as a babysitter, I’ve always been a kind of carpe diem.
“I apologized and apologized throughout the process,” Drescher continued. “When I finally got to the center of the room, the woman next to me said,‘ This is Fran Drescher. It is in a very popular program right now. A very funny actress. I shook her hand and said, “When the history books are written, you’ll be the heroine of the story.” He looked at me, he still saw her looking at me right now, and then he said, ‘Oh, thank you. That’s such a kind thing to say.’ And I mean every word. “
But Drescher did not end up impressing the Princess of Wales. When she took the stage, the star made sure to share a joke in which he worked just for her.
“I said, ‘I met Princess Diana backstage and said,’ Princess, we’re both on Mr. Blackwell’s list, ‘” Drescher said. “And she said to me, ‘Yes, but I was on the best-dressed list, and you were on the worst. And I said, “Yeah, but you have Princess Margaret on your list.” I have Madonna and Demi [Moore] in mine. You’re on the wrong princess list!
“I saw her sitting in the front row. Belly. Laughing and hitting her knee, bouncing her foot. Laughing in a guttural and genuine way. I could see her now sitting in the front row in a blue dress with a choker. “She was so good-natured and not at all elitist. And she was surprised. I had no idea what she was going to say. But I’m a comedy writer and I knew the audience would eat it with a spoon. a highlight of my career. “
Drescher said she feels blessed today. She had a painful past, which included a horrific rape at gunpoint in 1985, divorced her husband for 21 years, Peter Marc Jacobson, who publicly revealed that he was gay, as well as being diagnosed with breast cancer. uterus in 2000 after two years of misdiagnosis by several doctors.
In 2007, the survivor created the Cancer Schmancer Movement, a non-profit organization that aims to educate people on how to identify and eliminate the causes of cancer and other diseases from their daily routines. That same year, he helped persuade Congress to pass the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, which became law.
In January, Drescher was elected president of SAG-AFTRA, which represents approximately 160,000 artists and media professionals. He also wrote the prologue to a new picture book, “N is for The Nanny,” which refers to the 1990s program. One hundred percent of the proceeds goes to the Cancer Schmancer movement.
“I think it’s important to keep pushing the idea that we all need to be the change we want in this world,” he said. “I am just proud of The Nanny. It is the gift he continues to give. And it has certainly stood the test of time.
“Frankly, it’s never aired in almost 30 years. So people keep rediscovering it. It’s been accepted on TikTok and started playing on HBO Max. I think I’ve stayed very relevant. I have a young audience, but I’m also afraid to talk about important things.
“I went out on the other side, for the better,” he added. “You have to play with the hand with which you have been treated with grace, elegance and courage. I have been very lucky and blessed in my life. I started with some very humble beginnings. My father did two jobs when I was very young. It’s been an amazing journey with very low lows … but I’ve learned some very important life lessons that carry me forward. I’m very lucky. “
This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission.