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It was one of sitcoms' greatest "will they/won't they" relationships and fans couldn't get enough of them. When Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves) finally kissed on "Frasier," it was the payoff we had all been waiting for. But what was it about those two characters that kept people coming back week after week? Now more than 20 years after the show went off the air, the actors are spilling the secrets to their on-screen success.
David Hyde Pierce revealed in an interview with The Guardian that he was already a fan of Jane Leeves before filming for one of the best shows of the '90s began. "I knew her from 'Seinfeld' and 'Murphy Brown,' and we just felt like kindred spirits," he said. "It's safe to say that was true of the whole cast." Leeves was also familiar with Pierce before their time together on "Frasier." In the same interview, she shared that he made a real impression on her when they finally met. "I thought there was a calmness, a kindness, and an intellect that was devastatingly sexy, I have to say," Leeves said. It was that very off-screen chemistry that made their on-screen partnership work so well.
Pierce and Leeves are still close today
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It's been more than two decades since "Frasier" ended. The series finale is one of the best "Frasier" episodes of all time and ends with Daphne giving birth to her and her now-husband Niles' son, David. David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves have remained close ever since. "It was as it is now," Pierce told The Guardian. "We're just best friends." Leeves echoed his sentiment. "I love David," she said. "He's a true gentleman in every sense of the word and the finest human being you'll ever meet."
The back-and-forth between Niles and Daphne lasted for seven seasons before they finally got together. For some fans, their on-screen relationship was a sign that "Frasier" had jumped the shark. Pierce, however, said the timing was perfect. "One thing that the writers did very smartly: they got us together before people were tired of the suspense," he told The Guardian. Leeves agreed that seven seasons was a long time to wait.
Even after their first kiss, it took another two seasons before they got engaged in one of the most memorable proposals in TV history. Pierce credits the writers for keeping it fresh season after season. "It's such sophisticated writing... it was not a show where it was a joke a minute," he said. "It was a different style." Nothing was ever easy for Niles and Daphne on "Frasier."
