Actress Fran Drescher, the president of Hollywood-based union SAG-AFTRA, shrugged off speculation that she’ll run for political office amid her union reaching a deal with Hollywood studios.
Drescher, best known for her portrayal as Fran Fine on 1990s hit sitcom “The Nanny,” shut down the rumors during an appearance on SiriusXM program “The Julie Mason Show” Monday.
The suggestion of a possible Nanny political office run came after legendary actress Meryl Streep said that the union president should launch a campaign for the White House.
“I actually feel like if … I don’t think that I would entertain the idea because I think even though there’s a certain exhilaration in accomplishment, it’s not really what I would call joyful, and it’s very, very challenging to find balance and make time for yourself and your loved one,” Drescher told Mason.
Drescher, who also starred in classic 1970s film “Saturday Night Fever,” said that she doesn’t want to exist in a forum where “you’re constantly being in the middle of controversy and conflict.”
“I feel like I have a voice, and I have a you know … a high profile to my … name and my face, and maybe there are ways that I can leverage that on a bigger stage,” Drescher said.
“But there’s something also very restricting about being specifically in politics,” Drescher added. “And you’re always trying to raise money, and you’re always trying to, you know, work the system, and please I don’t know it’s just, it’s very, very … I think, difficult because you can’t just stick to the things that you’re passionate about.”
Drescher’s remarks comes days after she played a pivotal role in helping her union reach a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, ending their four-month strike.
The new agreement includes a pay raise for members and key protections against artificial intelligence.