Interview with Full House’s Jodie Sweetin

Ahh Ahh Ahh Ahh Chity Chi bob botta… It’s Full House’s Jodie Sweetin
By Jon Chattman

Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, evening TV, and while we’re at it, whatever happened to that adorable kid who chewed up scenes on Full House? You know…the one who hilariously verbally assaulted next door neighbor Kimmy Gibbler and made us all chuckle by uttering two simple words: “how rude?”

Well, if you watch Fuse, you know actress Jodie Sweetin made a comeback last year by hosting Pants-Off Dance Off, the quirky show in which ordinary people dance while taking their clothes off (no FFN – sorry fans.) But that quirky show isn’t the only indication Sweetin life is on an upswing. Ever since she announced in February 2006 that she had kicked a two-year addiction to meth, life couldn’t be any better for the actress.

The 25 year old and her husband Cody Herpin are expecting their first child (she’s four months preggers) and she’s in the midst of reading scripts for future acting work. Aw a matter of fact, she recently shot a pilot which is currently being shopped to the networks. Full House it is not. “It’s a dark sitcom – think Six Feet Under. It’s about a suicide prevention hotline and the guy who runs it,” she said. Wow, run for the hills, Dave Coulier.

We recently chatted with Sweetin, and asked her all about the Full House experience, her recovery, and married life. We also asked her if she knew how many F-bombs Bob Saget was dropping when he wasn’t on the set. Check it out, dude.

How’s married/pregnant life?
Married life is wonderful. [As far as the pregnancy], it’s good so far. Right now, I feel I don’t look too pregnant but I’m getting there. I’m really excited. We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet…it’s our first, so we’re really exited.

Very cool – so are you working or are you sort of on hold until the baby comes?
I’m a little on hold. I filmed a pilot, and I’m working on other projects and reading scripts. I’m speaking at different colleges and universities around the country and that’s been a really wonderful experience for me.

How’s the speaking engagement going? What’s the focus?
It’s sort of about my life: being on a television show as a child, growing up, my recovery, and just kind of my life in general. It’s really neat that many people are a bit inspired and interested in coming out and hearing me speak. It’s been incredibly rewarding.

I feel I have to bring this up. Do you find while you’re on this tour that people are looking to you to be the voice of reason for the Lindsay and Britney’s of the world? Do you find it annoying?
Definitely. People are always asking me, and I’ve turned down several interviews that wanted me to go on different shows and things kind of as a ‘what do you think parents and Britney should do?’ and ‘what should Lindsay do?’ I have no idea. I know what I have to do for myself, but it’s kind of weird when you’ve been through something like that and people sort of want you to be the spokesperson for anyone whose been through it or currently going through it.

Well, I’m sure you must get asked all the time about the Olsens, too. They’re still put through the ringer by the media…
Of course. People always ask me about them. It’s weird it’s like asking about somebody in your family. You’re kind of protective about them and stuff. I always just wish the best for them. I want them to be OK, happy and healthy.

What’s the number one thing that got you through your ordeal?
My family and my friends were really a huge thing for me. I had kind of lost touch with them and really wasn’t as involved with my family and my friends. Getting back to that and having a huge support system was probably most important thing for me.

Do you keep in touch with the Full House cast still?
Oh yeah. The whole cast stays in touch. We’re all really close. I talk to Bob Saget most often. He’s a sweetheart. We all stay in contact like family.

Is he sort of a father figure to you at this point?
Oh yes. I was really close to Bob. He has three daughters in real life strangely enough. I was very close to his daughters and spent a lot of time with his family on weekends. He definitely was a huge part of my life. And, he still checks in on me like a dad.

Saget’s standup is absolutely insane, and it’s always been. Did you catch any of his routine while you were on the show or did he shelter you guys from it?
We sort of caught bits and pieces of it, but a lot of it went over our heads of course when we were kids. But, once in awhile we’d get something and the parents would be ‘oh Bob, you can’t say that in front of the kids.’ He tried to shelter as much as possible but Bob is Bob so some of it slipped out.

Which was the best slogan on that show? “Sssss…the man is hot…” “how rude…” or of course – “cut it out?”
Well, I’m a little bit partial. I’m going to have to say “how rude” since that was my line.

Correct me if I’m wrong wasn’t “how rude” the first slogan?
Yes. “How rude” and “pin a rose on your nose” were kind of my two little catchphrases. Michelle had ‘you got it, dude.’ Joey’s was ‘cut it out’ and Jesse had ‘have mercy.’

Hey, whatever happened to Kimmy Gibbler?
Andrea [Barber] is married with two kids now. I talked to her when her last baby was born. People always ask me if Andrea was like her character, and she was nothing like it at all. She was very smart and sweet, and not at all obnoxious like Kimmy Gibbler. So it was pretty weird to see her play this completely terrible character that was just grating on everybody’s nerves because she was not like her at all.

Do you think Full House gets a bad wrap when all is said and done?
People kind of joke about it. It’s this cheesy family show and you watch it, and it’s sort of the sappy half-an-hour family sitcom: everything gets perfectly tied up in a neat little bow at the end with the music and a hug. But, there was a place for that and I think there still is. There’s a reason so many kids and families still watch the show in syndication and buy the DVDs. It’s family entertainment and was never meant to be like ER or a gripping drama or anything. It was a cute family show that parents could put their kids in front of a TV and not worry that they were going see anything offensive. I like that it goes in the same genre as Saved by the Bell and The Brady Bunch that everybody likes.

Do you ever talk reunion with the cast?
Probably not. We get together for dinner but there [probably won’t be] an official one.

Pants-off Dance Off… how’d that come about?
Fuse had approached me about working with them and at the time, I saw it and thought it was the worst best show ever. It was so opposite of Stephanie Tanner. I thought it was really fun and something fun to do for a season. I had a really good time doing it. It was just silly and showed I’m a little bit older and can do something different than Full House. When I told people I was doing it, they were like ‘oh my God, it’s such a terrible show.’ It’s kind of like Jerry Springer. You love it or hate it, and I love it.

Have you ever participated in a Pants-Off Dance Off?
Definitely not. I never had any part in the Pants-Off Dance Off. Constantly, fans of the show are going ‘are you going to do a Pants-Off Dance Off?’ And I’m like ‘nope, just hosting it.’

Last question, any chance you can get Dave Coulier and John Stamos for sweeps week?
Exactly. That was another one people ask me – “Are any Full House cast members going to be on it?”