EXCLUSIVE: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania’s Fran Drescher Talks Finding a Successful Life & Comedy
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is the fourth, and maybe final, movie in the Hotel Transylvania series and we got the chance to talk to one of the stars of the new movie, Fran Drescher. Drescher reprises her role as Eunice in the movie and we heard from the actress about playing the character over the last four movies, how to create comedy in animated roles, and so much more. Check out what she had to say below.
You brought this character to life for nearly 10 years, what advice do you have for those who in real life are struggling to fit in to be like everyone else?
“I think that the most attractive thing you can be is yourself and not give into peer pressure, not feel like you have to be like anybody else so you have to twist yourself into a pretzel because you think that’s what somebody else expects you to be. I think that every single day the more you practice self confidence and loving exactly who are you, and doing exactly what makes your heart sing and nothing else, then you’re on the right path to living a really successful life. Successful in a sense of being happy both inside and making kindness and compassion your compass is also something that brings value to your life and to those you touch.”
You certainly found the secret to good live action comedy through The Nanny. What do you think is the secret to good comedy in animation?
“I think physical comedy is very important. We did quite a bit of it on The Nanny. I think that in animation it’s absolutely imperative. You can do so much because it’s such a make believe world. You can contort characters in ways that they could never really do in real life. Even the best stunt person couldn’t get away with some of the stuff that animated characters can do. I think that that’s a big theme of doing an animated movie, is how far can we physically take these characters to do funny and surprising things?”
You can read the rest of the chat below the jump! Hotel Transylvania: Transformania will be released to Prime Video on January 14.
Photo credit: Amazon Studios
What would you say you like the most about the Hotel Transylvania series?
“What I like about this movie is that it’s really written funny. Parents really enjoy it as much as kids. Similarly, certain jokes I think may go right over the kids’ heads, but the parents get it and see the humor in it. It’s always very positive. Look at the talent. They’re all very serious comic actors. It really does help”.
From all indications, this will be the final Hotel Transylvania installment. What will you miss most about this series?
“I’ll miss Eunice. I love her. I love the way they drew her. I love her look. I love that she is a bit of a matriarch to the monsters. She really does. She gets wound up and screams a lot, but for the most part she really cares about Mavis and her family, and her husband too, Frank. I will miss my character, Eunice.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity