US MAGAZINE (April 1997)
JANE LEEVES Q&A
FOUR YEARS AGO, WHEN WORD CAME DOWN that Frasier would he debuting that fall, it was hard to picture this Cheers spin off as anything more than "Kelsey Grammar and Friends." But as it turned out, Frasier's cast quickly shone as a true ensemble, thanks in no small part to the engagingly chatty Jane Leeves. Leeves plays Daphne Moon, the sporadically psychic physical therapist employed by Frasier to look after his armchair-bound father (John Mahoney) Leeves, 35, got her stateside work permit at 21, when she moved from a small town in southeast England to L.A. to try to parlay a stint on The Benny Hill Show into a full-fledged acting career. For many of those early days, her roommate was fellow Hollywood hopeful Faith Ford, whose eventual breakout on Murphy Brown left Leeves assuming that opportunity wouldn't knock twice: "I thought, well, the odds of two beet friends who live together both getting on great shows, they're not very good" Then came her own gig on Murphy Brown (as Audrey, Miles Silverherg's brassily British girlfriend), the offer to work on Frasier and her notorious guest spot on Seinfeld ,where she played Marla, the die-hard virgin who gave it up to John F. Kennedy Jr.
Have you encountered JFK jr since 'Seinfeld'?
No, I've never met him. There was a [follow up] episode that I did where I was supposed to be lying in bed with JFK jr ,and they tried to get him to do it, but he said no. Which is sort of understandable - I don't think the Kennedy’s really want to he known for deflowering virgins [laughs]. They have sort of a -reputation to contend with as it is, you know.
On a more serious note how did Kelsey Grammar's going into rehab last fall affect the cast ?
The only effect it had on us was that we had break for a couple of weeks. But Kelsey never brought his problems to work. That was the amazing thing about it. And I must say since he's been back, he's been wonderful That's the greatest gift to us, to see somebody enjoying their success and feeling deserving.
Did you find yourselves thrown by the realization that the show might end ?
Our Concern wasn't that. It was that we knew there was a man in pain and that he needed help. And when somebody reaches that decision that they are going to get help , it’s all [easier] from there.
Do you think the “Frasier” cast will campaign for equal pay like the Seinfeld cast has ?
I don’t begrudge anybody making more money that me. I certainly don’t expect to get paid the same as John Mahoney. Or Kelsey. he worked all those years on Cheers ; I didn’t. I don’t ask [maniacally] "Am I making as much as everybody else?" but "Do I feel it's right that I should he getting this [salary]?" Right now I feel that I'm being treated very fairly, so I'm sure they'll treat me fairly down the line. I hope so; my husband works here, you know! [Laughs]
You and Paramount Television exec Marshall Coben recently married. How did you meet?
At Paramount's company Christmas party the year before. It was love at first sigh
Any good tales from your wedding?
There was one element of Four Weddings and a Funeral. We hired vintage cars to take everyone to the church; but those things Suspension brakes, and as people started getting out he brakes start to loosen. So David [Hyde Pierce] is the last one out, and the cars he’s in starts rolling down a hill picking up speed. Everyone's [shouting], "Jump! Jump!" Just as he does, the driver manages to jump in and stop it, but David twists his ankle and the car door hits him in the head. You know, it's like, "He was almost killed at my wedding!"
Now for the burning question: Will Niles and Daphne end up together when ail is said and done?
We always say that the final episode ever will be Niles and Daphne getting married. That's how it has to end. The way I see it, Daphne has to know in the back of her head the way Niles feels, but it's just too scary to deal with. Meanwhile, she has a genuine affection for him, because she's never been treated this way in her life. So, I think there's a place for this to go. But we also say it would he fun if Niles and Roz had a little fling. There's so much animosity there. [Laughs] It has to he coming from somewhere.