Shelley Long talks new film, reflects back on 'Cheers' 35 years later

— -- In "Different Flowers," comedy legend Shelley Long takes on a role that most fans of the "Cheers" and "Troop Beverly Hills" star are just not used to seeing -- a grandmother.

The film centers around a small-town girl trying to figure out if her chosen path in life is the right one, including her career and the man she was supposed to marry. Long plays Mildred, the young woman's grandmother, mentor and North Star.

The scenes include classic wit and humor that Long has shown in more than three decades of acting, but also depicts her character as a grounding force for her somewhat lost granddaughter.

Long spoke to ABC News about playing such a role, saying, "I don't know how many grandmothers I'm going to play, but it is a category people are starting to think of me of appropriate in, and that's fine."

The Emmy winner had to age up to play the 73-year-old, given that she's five years her junior at 68.

"There just aren't a lot of roles in general, roles for someone more specific to my age," she said. "I'm kind of in the middle, I don't exactly look like a grandmother, but I don't look like a leading lady in the more traditional sense."

She added, joking, "[But] there are a lot of young grandmothers out there!"

The Indiana native admits that most of her fans probably see her taking on the role of a grandmother as a deviation because "people don't realize it's been 35 years since we started 'Cheers.'"

"That was a long time ago ... time goes fast," she said.

As for joining the ranks of the various shows like "Roseanne" and others that have been rebooted or have had casts reunited, Long says fans might be disappointed.

"I don't think anybody on the 'Cheers' cast would want to do that again," she said. "We were blessed enough to have each other and to have those writers, and Jimmy Burrows, who produced and directed."

She threw in the Charles brothers, Glen and Les, as the two other executive producers to the magic that made "Cheers" great.

"They all were geniuses," she said. "It was just an amazing collection of super talented people. I don't know how that happens or why it happens, but it really was something special."

Also, she brought up the fact that the ratings were not very good the first couple of seasons and that now, a network wouldn't give that kind of support without instant gratification. After catching on, the show ended up running for more than a decade from 1982 to 1993.

"I think the cast would feel like ... 'We did this and we did it in a way that astounded all of us,'" she said. "I'm still astounded."

As for what's next for the icon, Long simply said, "I feel good, there's definitely more to my life and what I'm doing. I'm happy about that."

"Different Flowers" hits theaters this weekend.