Fran Drescher’s journey from ‘The Nanny’ to Hollywood union boss

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — The character that made her famous also foreshadowed Fran Drescher’s biggest role yet.

In Season 2 of her sitcom “The Nanny,” which ran from 1993 to 1999, Drescher’s character Fran Fine refuses to cross a picket line in an episode titled, “The Strike.”

Fine tells her Broadway producer boss Maxwell Sheffield that she can’t return to work at one of his productions due to her mother’s “three rules.”

“Never make contact with a public toilet, never ever, ever cross a picket line,” she says. “What was the third one? Oh yeah, never wear musk oil to the zoo.”

Fast forward to 2023 and Drescher is standing at the center of a strike that has brought Hollywood to a standstill.

She is the current president of SAG-AFTRA, whose 160,000 union members are on strike against major film and television studios, joining the more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike since May.

Both groups are seeking better base pay, audience data transparency and protection from artificial intelligence.

“We are being victimized by a very greedy entity,” Drescher said in a fiery speech on Thursday. “I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us. I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things.”

“How they plead poverty, that they’re losing money left and right, when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting,” she added. “Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history at this very moment.”

Drescher’s commanding remarks may have surprised some who know her best for her distinctly Queens accent in “The Nanny” and her other comedic performances, but Drescher’s personal life led to advocacy roles years ago.

As a rape and later a uterine cancer survivor, Drescher has long been a leader in advancing women’s health initiatives, helping to secure the passage of the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act.

She was named a State Department Public Diplomacy Envoy in 2008 and is the founder of Cancer Schmancer, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure women’s cancers are diagnosed as early as possible.

Drescher is also the author of the book “Enter Whining” and the more recent “N is for The Nanny,” which explored her personal triumphs over trauma and paid homage to her show.

It is the breadth of her personal and professional experiences that led to her decision to run for the SAG-AFTRA presidency in 2021.

“It came to me that everything that I have done in my life has led me to this one defining moment,” she told Deadline ahead of the election she won on a platform of unity.

“I have learned in my life that when you enter a situation with a lot of hope, optimism and fresh ideas, it’s easier to get the job done than if you’ve been beaten down, already anticipating negativity, or wallowing in past feud,” Drescher said. “I am a person who turns hard-lived life experiences into wisdom, and it’s those life lessons I will bring to the table.”

Drescher will likely need to draw on all of that in her current seat at the head of Hollywood’s negotiating table.

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