Quote of the Moment
"We all know the value of a dollar and keep each other in check. For whatever reason, things just didn't go to my head. I was raised in a normal way, so I guess it's all just down to good parenting!"
Thanks for visiting Spencer Grammer Fan, your number one source for the talented actress. You probably recognize Spencer from the hit show Greek on ABC Family, where she plays popular sorority sister Casey Cartwright. If not, be sure to watch ABC Family Mondays at 8/7c!
Spencer Grammer says that despite how natural she seems on “Greek,” she’s nothing like her nasty sorority sister character Casey Cartwright.
During an interview with CTV.ca, Grammer, the daughter of Kelsey Grammer, explains that “always being mean to girls” is the hardest part of her role on “Greek” — but also thinks there’s more to Casey than what audiences expect.
“She’s a really good character who sometimes does bad things.”
As an ambitious member gunning for the club’s top spot, Casey asserts her power over her sisters with caustic, churlish remarks that Grammer isn’t always comfortable with.
Casey’s temperament isn’t the only place where Grammer zags from her preppy character either.
“I’m totally a tomboy. I rarely get recognized because I don’t dress like my character at all… I wear baseball caps and tank tops,” says Grammer. “I’m just comfortable that way.”
Canadians will first meet Casey when the second season of “Greek” debuts Friday, July 4 on CTV.
In the first episode, Casey denies the existence of her younger brother, Rusty (Jacob Zachar), who enrolls at her school and wants to join a fraternity. But when Casey’s boyfriend cheats on her with a wealthy young freshman, her brother must come to her rescue.
Grammer previously appeared on the soap “As the World Turns,” while also taking guest turns on “Law & Order: SVU” and “Third Watch.”
Not a Crane
Though Grammer’s father Kelsey has enjoyed a successful career on television as Frasier Crane on “Cheers” and “Fraser,” Grammer says she doesn’t want to stand in his shadow.
The actress says it’s important for her to develop her professional identity on her own.
“It means so much more at the end of the day if I did it on my own merit. I think that it’s the only way to feel like you’ve really done something for yourself.”
However, Grammer won’t rule out working side-by-side with her father on a project someday.
“If I was the right person for the right part, I would. We kind of keep work separate — we don’t really talk about it. He’s my dad, and I’m his daughter, and that’s the most important thing to us.”
Before pursuing a career in acting, Grammer was dedicated to the art of dance, training up to six days a week for three hours a day. However, she found the hostile atmosphere too abrasive, and discovered a new creative outlet in acting.
“I tried a lot of things and I kept coming back to acting and wanted to be a part of that world. Once I committed myself in college — that was it. For now, it’s what I want to do,” says Grammer.
Now, unlike the rigorous schedule she followed training to be a ballerina, Grammer is happy spending 16 hour days on set shooting “Greek.”
Prank patrol
While the actress was never a member of her own sorority, the actress says the cast on “Greek” are so tight-knit, that it feels like she’s now a member.
“We work together so much and we have so much fun playing pranks on each other,” says Grammer.
The actress thinks she’ll be next after playing a prank on her co-star Jake McDorman (Evan) that involved hiding his car multiple times.
“He was asking for it… and when you play pranks on him, he doesn’t get upset, he’s really calm about it,” says Grammer. “It was amazing.”
Ros has found a video dating back to March 23, 2001 of a performance that Spencer and some of her classmates participated in. Click here to view the clip online.
The first instinct when talking to Spencer Grammer is to ask her how her Uncle Niles is doing.
That, of course, would be wrong.
As much as TV lovers associate Spencer’s father Kelsey Grammer with Frasier Crane, and David Hyde Pierce with Niles Crane, Frasier and Niles are fictional characters.
But speaking of fictional characters, Spencer Grammer gets to play one of her own in the ABC Family teen-drama series Greek, which makes its Canadian debut Friday, July 4, on CTV.
So did Kelsey Grammer actually encourage his daughter to go into the acting trade, or did he take steps to try to keep Spencer out of it?
“You know, it’s a really tough business, I think, particularly for women,” said Spencer, 24. “There’s a lot of pressure on how you look and how much you need to weigh. And you’re always sort of a sexual object.
“My dad wasn’t really about me being like that. But, of course, he encouraged me to follow what I love and what my dreams are and be happy. This is what I wanted to do, so I guess I’m happy.”
Greek, which already has been renewed for a second season on ABC Family, focuses on a group of university students who are part of the Greek system of fraternities and sororities.
“I went to college, but we didn’t have a Greek system at my school,” Grammer said when asked about her own academic endeavours.
“I think for everybody the college experience is about redefining yourself. I mean, you get to start fresh, in a new place with new friends, and you are looking toward your future and figuring out your career.
“At that time in our lives, it’s scary because you don’t really know who you want to be. You’re breaking rules. You’re not listening to your parents. Your parents aren’t there, but you still have the cloak of being in an environment where you are being protected still. And I think that’s what the show is about.”
In Greek, Grammer plays Casey Cartwright, a popular girl who isn’t particularly keen on having her nerdy younger brother Rusty (played by Jacob Zachar) infiltrate her cool college world.
“I’ve never played the popular girl, really, until this show,” said Grammer, who had a half-year role on the soap-opera As the World Turns, has appeared in episodes of Law & Order: SVU and Third Watch, and as a youngster was an extra on her dad’s old show Cheers.
“I always played the quirky best friend, and that’s what I really was in high school. I was kind of a loner and I read a lot. I know that makes me sound creepy, but that’s how I was. I was always kind of weird. I focused on college and stuff and I always sort of had my own life outside of school.
“So playing the ‘it’ sorority girl is totally different from who I really am. But it’s fun for wish fulfilment, I guess!”
Hello everyone! My computer crashed this past weekend and I won’t have it back from repair for another 7-14 days. I’m having to bum computer access from someone else so I don’t have a lot of time to find updates. If you have ANY information, could you please e-mail me at news [at] spencer-grammer.com. I’ll post it up here and you’ll get full credit. Thanks a lot!
This article isn’t completely Spencer-related, however it is about her mother Doreen Alderman. In the article she talks about how Spencer and her sister (from another marriage) both learned to dance in her studio. If you’d like, you can check it out here.
Also, are you a fan of Spencer? Please be sure to join her fanlisting and show your support!
In spirit of Spencer’s dad being released from the hospital I uploaded a few older photos from the 2001 VH-1 Music Awards. They feature Spencer, her dad Kelsey, and her stepmom Camillle. In case you hadn’t heard, Kelsey was admitted to the hospital earlier this week after he suffered a mild heart attack while on vacation with his family.
“Yes, they’re totally real!,” shrieks Spencer Grammer when asked if the sororities and fraternities depicted in BBC Three’s new series Greek exist.
“I have a bunch of friends who are in them,” she continues excitedly. “I wasn’t in one when I went to college, but they’re traditional things. If your mom was in a sorority, then you’d try for the same one, and the same with a father and son and a fraternity.”
It’s probably worth explaining a few things before we go any further. For those who’ve never seen Animal House, the 1978 film starring John Belushi, a fraternity (derived from the Latin for ‘brother’ - frater) is the name given to the all-male social groups in American colleges.
Members are usually bound by a code of ethics or guidelines, and often have a subject in common. Joining such a group - which invariably have Greek names, hence the name of the series - requires a first-year student, or freshman, to ‘rush’ existing members. Basically, they must ingratiate themselves with the hierarchy of the fraternity ultimately responsible for who they admit into their brotherhood.
With female fraternities - or sororities - the same basic principles apply.
Of course, if you tune into Greek, in which Spencer stars, all this and more, will become second nature.
The daughter of Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, she plays the show’s lead character Casey Cartwright - second in line at the prestigious Zeta Beta Zeta sorority and a complex blend of impossibly pretty, perfect Prom Queen-type and, for the first two episodes at least, all-round cow.
Casey’s tipped to become president of her sorority when the existing one graduates, but her world as leader-in-waiting is rocked when her geeky younger brother Rusty turns up at college.
Now in its second series in America, Greek has been remarkably well-received by audiences and critics alike and the fact filming is about to commence on a third run proves there’s a lot of faith in the programme.
The fact that the series is being shown in the UK fills Spencer with excitement.
“I can’t wait for you guys to see it, it’s awesome,” she gushes, in her very best Valleyspeak.”
She believes the show has improved over time.
“It’s so much fun, and more characters are getting developed. I enjoy each episode more than the last,” she beams, before going on to describe her character.
“I like to believe Casey has a lot of levels. Yes, she is in one way this uptight, sorority member who just cares about herself and being the hot girl on campus, but there there’s the other side of her which comes out in her relationship with her brother.”
Almost from the off, a fierce rivalry develops between Casey and potential ZBZ member Rebecca Logan. She’s a senator’s daughter, and as a result, all sororities want her in their fold.
“Dilshad, who plays Rebecca, and Casey hate each other on screen, but off it, we get along just fine; great in fact,” says Spencer.
Prior to being cast in Greek, Spencer had appeared in shows such as Third Watch, and also had a six-month stint in American soap As The World Turns.
“I think being in Greek is a natural progression for me. My experiences on the soap opera and the other shows had really prepared me for it,” she says. “Those shows taught me so much about the importance of having a job, being respectful, turning up on time, knowing your dialogue and just generally being professional.”
Being the daughter of TV’s Frasier, Spencer Grammer is not short of advice when it comes to her acting career.
But the rising TV star - who heads the cast of BBC Three’s US college-based show Greek as sorority star Casey Cartwright - says work is normally off the conversation menu when she’s with dad Kelsey, who plays the popular TV shrink.
“We don’t really talk about work too often, we’d rather have a good time and just enjoy each other’s company,” she says. “Saying that, he did give me hints for auditioning, and told me to always give a moment of truth. I’ve taken that and put it into my acting as well. I put myself in a character’s shoes and try to find their truth, and also try to display a humanity - a basic understanding of what people are like.”
Spencer says her famous dad also taught her to stay grounded.
“I have really good friends that I’ve had for a long time, which helps too, as does having a close family. We all know the value of a dollar and keep each other in check. For whatever reason, things just didn’t go to my head. I was raised in a normal way, so I guess it’s all just down to good parenting!”
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