fans of Fraser They are thrilled to see Kelsey Grammer return to the iconic role in a new series, also titled Fraser. He returns to his roots, moves to Boston to be with his son Freddie (Jack Cutmore-Scott), and studies psychology at Harvard. The comedy-drama boasts almost all-new characters, each of whom makes a great addition to the series, but many of Grammer’s previous castmates return in cameo roles.
Kelsey Grammer initially played Fraser in the series Good luckEarning a spin-off in 1993, which followed him when he moved from Boston to Seattle to host a talk radio show. This isn’t the first role Grammer has reprized in years, most recently reprising the X-Men as Beast in an end-credits scene of The Marvels. Perry Gilpin returned briefly as Rose at the end of Fraser Season 1, and will also return in Fraser Season 2, which premieres September 19, exclusively on Paramount+.
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Screen Rant Interviewed Kelsey Grammer and Peri Gilpin to talk all things Fraser Season 2. Grammer admits he never thought he would return to FraserWhile Gilpin says she always thought she would. Grammer admits what other characters he’d like to see return, while he and Gilpin explain what it’s like to film in front of a live audience.
Kelsey Grammer & Peri Gilpin love filming in front of a live audience
“It’s the biggest job in Hollywood, honestly, it’s always for the audience.”
Screen Rant: What is it like for you to perform in front of a live audience?
Kelsey Grammer: Well, that’s the juice. I mean, that’s why you do it. It’s the biggest job in Hollywood, honestly. It is always for the audience. It’s not art unless there’s a set of eyes looking at it that aren’t involved. And we get this immediate feedback. It’s the roar, the grease paint, the smell of the crowd. It’s instant, and it’s so exciting to do it. This is the perfect combination of camera work with live theater. That’s what I think drives all the people who have made their living in sitcoms. I think that’s what drives them crazy because it’s the only place that really feels right. It is such a great resource.
Early Gilpin: Well, you’re working on it. The whole purpose is to make it presentable to an audience. Something they can enjoy and participate in by responding, especially with comedy. When you do comedy in one camera, no one can respond. You really don’t know what works and what doesn’t, but there you get the immediate reaction – or not. But that’s why you do it. They are like the ultimate character. They’re so happy they’re there, and you can’t wait to show them, and you can’t wait to make the scene for them. It is the goal.
Kelsey Grammer: Yes, it is. This is all for them. This is all for them.
Kelsey Grammer never thought he would return to Frasier before the reboot
“I left it. I was happy about it. I went on and did some nice and interesting things.”
Screen Rant: When Fraser Finally, did you ever think you would return to this role?
Kelsey Grammer: I didn’t think so. I remember having a conversation with Jeff Zucker at the end of season 11, and he said, “What do you think? You think you could do a couple more?” And I said, “Yeah, we can do a couple more.” I can because he is as interesting as life itself. Unless you’re bored with life, you’re not really bored with playing a character. I guess if the character was just in a procedural drama, you might get bored and say, no thanks. I don’t want to do this anymore. But Freer has a lot of notes, and he plays a lot of notes. He plays from funny to sad, to tragic, to comic. He touches them all, and it’s always about love. So how can you get bored of this in life? I mean, that’s life. That’s what we’re here for. To carve our niche in the world of love. To build Eden. To make our garden.
Anyway, I said to Jeff, “Yes, we can.” And then Paramount let all the writers go anyway, and it just didn’t happen that way at that time. So I leave it. I was happy to. I went on and did some really fun things and really interesting things. A lot of theater and a couple of film roles that are kind of fun and caught on a little bit. And when Roseanne started her show again, which is now what, seven or eight years ago, wasn’t it? It was such a great response. And I thought, this is our contemporary. And it’s a format that I, of course, love and people were willing to respond to it again. We started talking seriously about doing Tan Frazier, and we found some straight ears, some not so straight, and then finally forced into the Neck.
Rose is Perry Gilpin’s favorite character she has ever played
“I’ve always had weird thoughts that I could play Rose again.”
Screen Rant: What made you, Perry, revisit Rose?
Peri Gilpin: Fantastic. It’s so fun. It is a dream. I always kind of weirdly thought I could play Rose again. I don’t know why. And it feels so good to revisit this character. It’s my favorite character I’ve ever played. I love all the things about her and I love playing her at this age and finding out what’s going on in her life now. It’s so fun.
Kelsey Grammer has several characters he would like to see return
“We targeted a couple. It’s probably not very smart of me to tell them, but there are a couple of really funny ones, even.”
Screen Rant: Do you think other characters and friends from the past will return?
Kelsey Grammer: Yeah, we targeted a couple. It’s probably not very smart for me to say them, but there are a couple of really funny ones though. I can probably say this. I was just thinking of this yesterday. I was in a place in New Jersey called Crystal Springs, which very few people know is the connection for the character Kirby. Kirby was Jean Smart’s son on the show. And he got involved with a girl who Nils and Fryer thought could be the heir to the Mulvihill wine cellar. The Mulvihill Wine Cellar actually exists in Crystal Springs, so I think I might take Christopher Lloyd and the writers to dinner there and try to figure out a way to make the Mulvihill Wine Cellar a thing in the show. I don’t know. It’s just something that popped into my head that won’t ruin anyone’s idea of ​​what the show should be.
I called Chris when I was there, when I actually went there. I called Christopher Lloyd and I said, “Why am I talking about the Mulvihill Wine Cellar?” Because it is one of the largest wine cellars in the world. It’s unbelievable. It’s an amazing story. David Lloyd, his dad, used to write for Carson. It’s one hour outside of Manhattan. Chris said, “I think my dad went there.” It was special 50 years ago. It’s really special now. It’s an amazing place. They have everything you can imagine. Every wine from anywhere in the world. I have never seen such a place. The next time you’re in New York, go on and check it out.
More on Frasier Season 2
The series follows Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) into the next chapter of his life after he returns to Boston to face new challenges, form new relationships and—hopefully—finally fulfill an old dream or two.
Check out our other interviews with the cast and creatives of Fraser Season 2:
Fraser Season 2 premieres September 19, exclusively on Paramount+.
Source: Screen Rant Plus