Fran Drescher By Cindy Pearlman

TV’s former Nanny and star of WB’s new show Living With Fran talks about what it’s like to be divorced and dating again—and shares her advice for telling guys, “Sorry, not tonight.”

In your new show, you play a woman who’s married for decades then gets divorced—and jumps back into the dating scene. Any similarities to your own life?
It’s very autobiographical. I married my high-school sweetheart and moved out of my parents’ house right in with my husband. Then, at 38, I found myself divorced.

What’s the hardest part about dating after being married so long?
You realize that you don’t have a lot of experience with men. It’s strange to be in your forties and suddenly you have to figure out how to tell a guy, “I’m not going to sleep with you.” The last time I had to do this I was in high school, and I had the excuse that my parents were upstairs. Well, they’re not upstairs anymore.

So what do you say?
I just say, “This ain’t gonna happen tonight!” Be honest.

After your divorce, you dated a much younger man. Was that a challenge?
No, because I tend to be very contemporary, so we had a lot in common. We loved the same music, and shared similar interests in arts and sports. We loved to debate current events. We had a very symbiotic relationship. But age did ultimately catch up with us.

What happened?
I think as he hit thirty, he didn’t feel he was where he wanted to be—and he couldn’t find out who he wanted to be living under my shadow. He wasn’t evolved enough as his own man to not feel eclipsed by me. That’s where age came in. Now, I’m trying to date men closer in age to me who are established and feel like they’ve arrived. That way, they can hack being called Mr. Drescher.

Would you ever go on a blind date?
The problem is it’s never a blind date for the dude. They’re going out with Fran. Once, I ended up in bed with this guy who blurted out, “I can’t believe I’m sleeping with the Nanny!” I said, “I can’t believe you just said that; there’s the door!”

Do you do any pre-date research yourself?
I’m at home desperately Googling him. You gotta Google them.

And if, despite your pre-date research and all, you two don’t hit it off, how do you let someone down easily?
You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I’ll say, “You’re a really nice guy, but I just don’t feel the magic. I trust my instincts on this stuff, but I wish you well.”

Cindy Pearlman is a nationally syndicated entertainment writer. Her column The Big Picture can be found at www.chicagosuntimes.com.