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He’s been making us laugh as smart, classy British butler Niles in The Nanny for years – but there’s one thing Daniel Davis has never understood about the film.
After six hugely successful years from 1993-1999, the series ended abruptly with main character Fran Fine (played by creator Fran Drescher) marrying her boss Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy), and Niles settles down with his arch-rival – and Mr Sheffield’s boss. colleague – C.C. Babcock (Lauren Lane.)
But it was this later love story that Davis was never able to grasp.
“To be honest, it’s the only part I’ve never actually bought,” he told news.com.au.
“C.C. and I was so tired – I didn’t believe we would eventually get married. But I had to play it, because that’s what they wrote… I don’t think I’ve ever expressed that to anyone before!
The 70-year-old initially thought the odd combination could offer an expansive future for C.C. and the Nile River.
“The only reason I think it could work is if they were planning a spin-off, like The Niles and C.C. The show I really liked — but they didn’t agree with the idea.”
He may not like it, but Davis can still understand why the writers felt the need to have a butler and C.C. live happily ever after.
“I guess they just want to tie up loose ends.” The characters’ on-screen chemistry was undeniable and their ongoing, sophisticated feud quickly emerged as a cornerstone of the series – so it may come as no surprise that fans knew Davis and Lane. actually had a history before taking on this role.
“The luckiest thing that could have happened was that we knew each other six years before The Nanny. When I realized she was going to play that [C.C.] part, it felt natural. We were so comfortable that we were a perfect fit from day one.”
Niles is famous for his quick quips and those witty one-liners were actually inspired by the actor himself.
“The writers watched me closely in the early days of the show,” he explains.
“They started writing in my voice. And because my humor has a wicked side, they figured it out.”
During its six-year run, The Nanny has boasted an impressive catalog of cameos—from Whoopi Goldberg, Elton John, Bette Midler, Jay Leno to Joan Collins—but there’s one star that has the entire cast enthralled. . — tied up when Elizabeth Taylor showed up — we were all astounded,” Davis revealed.
“But she made it easy for us to work with her—she said, ‘Look guys, we all have to work together so forget that I’m Elizabeth Taylor and just think of me as a female. actors come to work for your movie. Shows’.”
While Davis – who is also known for his role as Professor Moriarty on Star Trek TNG – still remembers his time on The Nanny fondly, there’s one former cast member who doesn’t have such happy memories.
“It was not a fun experience,” Madeline Zima, who played Gracie Sheffield, told The TV Page in 2013.
“There was a kindness and sensitivity that didn’t exist on the set of The Nanny. They treated me more like a support than a person.” It was a disappointment for Davis to hear about the show he loved so much, but he believes it was simply due to Zima’s natural instincts.
“Madeline always had the feeling that she was just an unhappy child – that was her nature. That was remarkable,” he explains.
“I think the writers captured her unhappiness and they wrote that into her character… That’s why Gracie always seemed unhappy and had to undergo psychological treatment.”
Regardless, considering the show is in constant reruns nearly 20 years after it ended, The Nanny’s popularity doesn’t seem to be waning anytime soon.
“I think The Nanny will outlive us [the cast] a lot,” predicts Davis.
