Interview By Jefferson Graham In the Official Frasier Companion
The Jane Leeves File
Jane Leeves was Born in London and raised in east Grinstead , Sussex , England , the daughter (along with two sisters and a brother) of a contracts engineer and a nurse . Her First dream was to be a Ballerina , but that career was cut short by an injury when she was 18 . She bounced back with modelling and less strenuous dancing in commercials and rock videos .
She moved to Los Angeles to break into acting in 1984 and soon got a job in the syndicated serise Throb (1986-88) about the record business. The Complete Directory of Prime Time Network and Cable Shows describes her Throb character of “Blue” as “a flighty young English girl who was more punk than most of the groups that paraded through the office.” After Throb was cancelled , Leeves guest stared on many serise , including Murder, She Wrote ; My Two Dads ; Blossom ; and Who’s The Boss ? . She had a recurring role in Murphy Brown as Audrey Cohen , the girlfriend of FYI executive producer Miles Silverburg , but was probably best known for the Seinfeld episodes in which she played Marla , the “virgin” who seduced John . F . Kennedy Jr .
Her feature film credits include To Live and Die in LA ; Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life ; The Hunger ; Mr Write and Miracle on 34th Street .
I spoke with Leeves in the bleachers at Stage 25 during rehearsals for the “Frasier Loves Roz” Episode . She wore a grey “Lucky” T-Shirt , black sweater , and jeans.
Jefferson Graham : I understand that you know everything about Daphne , even more than the writers .
Jane Leeves : It’s true . I have quite an extensive background of her . In 1982 she was at beauty school . It hasn’t been talked about in the scripts , but I know she tried her hand at many things . For Daphne , its always been about talking care of people and helping them feel better . She has 8 brothers and comes from a working class background . The little house she grew up in was just like the one in My Left Foot , with four in a bed . She had to contribute to the running of the household by bringing home what she made and giving a bit for Mum .
JG :When did she come to Seattle ?
JL : Three years and six months ago . Her brother Billy , the ballroom dancer , told her to go out and make a life for herself before she ended up like her mum , so she went to San Francisco and stayed with her Uncle Jackie , who’s a transvestite . She stayed a few months , then hopped on a train to Seattle , because she heard it was a nice place .
JG :Do the writers appreciate that you know so much about your character ?
JL : it helps them and me . They’ll often say “Why do you think she’d do this or that “ and since I come from England and knew people just like Daphne , I can offer my views . Before she got the job at the health care agency , she was living hand to mouth , doing what she could . For Daphne , living with Frasier and Martin , she’s in a mansion as far as she’s concerned. She has her own room and all these gentlemen who treat her nicely .
JG :Why do you think Niles is so obsessed with Daphne ?
JL : Because she is the complete opposite of everything he’s ever known. She’s grounded and down to earth and that’s just not the sort of person he’s used to . She’s not out for herself like everyone else , she’s there to help others . And it turns him on to see her rooting around under the sink and fixing things .
JG : Is she truly unaware of his desires ?
JL : I don’t think so . It’s one of those things that’s too scary to deal with . Also there’s a certain amount of denial. Somebody that wonderful and cultured couldn’t possibly be interested in a guttersnipe like me , could he ?
JG : Are they showing Frasier in England yet ?
JL : Yes , it’s on channel 4 and it’s very well received there . The critics and the audience love it .
JG : Tell me about your accent .
JL : I have a standard British accent and Daphne has a Mancunian accent , since she’s from Manchester . It’s like the difference between a traditional American accent and a southern accent . A Mancunian accent is more working class . I’m so used to slipping in and out of it but sometimes my accent has gotten us into trouble on the scripts because the words don’t come out the way the writers envisaged . For instance , I was supposed to tell a joke once that ended in the word Duck , but with the accent it didn’t sound funny so they changed it to elephant .
JG : If people used to stop you on the street and say “You’re the Virgin” after Seinfeld , what do they say now ?
JL : They go “Daphne , we love her , she’s so sweet.” She’s a great calling card because she’s such a nice person and so likable that people relate to her and immediately embrace me .
JG : What are your memories of East Grinstead ?
JL : It was a very small town in the middle of the country side . Everybody knew each other , you felt safe there , you didn’t have to lock doors .
JG : Do you ever get back to England ?
JL : At least once a year . My parents , sister and brother are still there as well as many friends .
JG : How do you look back at your Murphy Brown experience ?
JL : It was great . It gave me an opportunity to work with my best friend , Faith Ford (FYI reporter Corky Sherwood) , which I never thought was possible , because we’re so different .
JG : How did you become friends with her ?
JL : We moved here at the same time . We met at acting class and then became room mates for 6 years . I came to visit her at Murphy Brown a few times , and [the producer] Dianne English had seen me on Throb , so they wrote the part of Audrey for me .
JG : Tell me about the Seinfeld experience .
JL : It was so much fun but it was so fast and it happened so quickly . When I did the first “Virgin” episode they didn’t know what the following weeks show would be or wether I would be back . We shot “The Virgin” on a Wednesday , I went home and they called me on Friday and told me to come back for rehearsal on Saturday . I came in and asked what happens to my character . “You end up losing your virginity to JFK Jr “ ”No” I said “what really happens ?” Again they told me . I thought , well , that sound hilarious and great but how will they handle it on TV . Luckily, they came up with all those great sayings “Queen of My Castle” and “Master of My Domain”
JG : You’ve been in five movies . Take me through your high lights .
JL: The best one is the latest , James and the Giant Peach , and you don’t see me because it’s animated . It’s just my voice , but I get to sing and play this wonderful character and it looks great . I’ll also be doing The Lion King sequel for video playing a little bird who is friends with Simba .
JG : And the live - action films ?
JL : I liked the scenes I had with Paul Reiser in Mr Write . We had a fun time and a neat little chemistry . Miracle on 34th Street was fun but gruelling . And it was great fun meeting the Monty Python guys on The Meaning of Life .
Her favourite episode of Frasier is ...
“I have so many , it’s hard to choose one . The piolet (number one ; the Good Son) was a good episode for me , I also liked the one here Daphne had to buy Bulldog in an auction (number 12 ; “Can’t buy me love”). Then we got drunk in a limo ,I got drunk and turned the tables by giving him a horrible time . “The Matchmaker” (number 28) was wonderful, and so was (number 41) “Daphne’s Room” and the tango episode (number 63 “Moondance”) . I wasn’t in (the fencing show) much (number 43 “an Affair to Forget”) but I loved the swordfight .