THE FRAN DRESCHER MOVEMENT
When she’s acting, Fran Drescher likes to take cues from her real life. Last year’s Happily Divorced, a second act in sitcoms for the former Nanny, was based on Drescher’s relationship with ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson. Lately, though, the New York comedienne has been drawing on her experiences for a much bigger role—no acting involved: Following her 2002 memoir Cancer Schmancer, in which she chronicles her battle with uterine cancer and recovery from a radical hysterectomy, an invigorated Drescher started the Cancer Schmancer Movement and has been making headway in a whole new direction. “I think cancer put me on a tailspin so I could come out the other end of it a rebuilt, reinvented person,” she tells DuJour.
Now, at 56, the actress is willed enough to take on anything from leading public service campaigns to running for elected office, even—especially side-by-side with a young new partner, Shiva Ayyadurai. Below, she chats with DuJour about the new “Don’t Drink and Drive,” her thoughts on adoption and her newfound joy in life.
