Candace Cameron Bure Talks 'Fuller House': 'It Feels Like We Didn't Skip a Beat'
In addition to "Fuller House," Candace Cameron Bure has a fuller plate, professionally.
In addition to being the mother of three teens, the actress' schedule has gotten more and more packed since her popular third-place stint on "Dancing With the Stars" last year. She's reprising her trademark role as D.J. Tanner, now a widowed mom at the center of "Fuller House," the Netflix reunion series spinning out of the enduring 90s-era sitcom; she's lined up a series of made-for-TV projects with the Hallmark Channel, she recently releases a memoir/inspirational tome about her "DWTS" experience; and she just locked down a stint as one of the recurring co-hosts of the ABC daily chat series "The View."
She recently chatted with Moviefone, just prior to "The View" announcement, but with plenty of time to talk about the rest of her staggering workload -– including reuniting with her former co-stars, her son's insta-crush on the grown-up Stephanie Tanner, and the one other show business job she's been coveting.
Moviefone: Working on "Fuller House," what have you liked about this grown up version of D.J.? What's been the fun of learning about her and being her again?
Candace Cameron Bure: I mean, we get to see her twenty-some years later, so it's just fun to see her as a mom, and to see what kind of mom she's become, and what kind of woman. And it's just a character that's so special to me, and it's fun to be able to develop her even more -– and particularly because I get to do that with the writers. And sit down and talk with them, and get to hear their thoughts. They hear my thoughts, and then so it just becomes this character that we all love.
How early did you start talking with Jeff Franklin about where your character would be in these developments? Because your character is really like the lead of the show.
Well, we're so happy that we have Jeff Franklin, who created the original show, because there's no one that knows the characters better than Jeff. And so, really since the show was in the conceptual stages, we started talking about the character, and just like with the original show, the writers would always want to know what was going on in our personal lives, and what would translate and couldn't translate that would be relatable to scripts on the show. And it's really the same for this show. I mean, they're asking me what kind of mom I am with my 3 kids. And so we're going to use a lot of my own personal experiences, but we'll make them DJ's. And in the way that she is a mom, and does life.
It seems clear you guys in the cast were in regular contact before the reunion, but what's it like to reunite in this new environment?
We are having the time of our lives, really. Yes, of course, we've all been great friends and we hang out all the time. But just to be on the stage together, and working together, we're all pinching ourselves and saying like, "It feels like we didn't skip a beat. It feels like we never left one another." And I think we're having even more fun this time around than we did the first time around, which is hard to beat because we had an amazing time.
What was the biggest déjà vu moment so far?
In the house? Not a déjà vu moment, but it's just surreal to be in the same place all together, on a soundstage together. So you just have those moments of like, "Whoa -– it's been a long time since we've been together." And you just have to stop and take a moment to absorb it. And then you're like, "OK, let's just laugh again."
it seems like it's always a tragedy that brings the Tanners together. Like they move in together when they lose someone. So is there a bittersweet quality to the new reunion?
No. I think the way they've developed the show, it is tragedy that starts off the show, which was like the original "Full House." But the themes are always heartfelt, it's always a situation you can learn something from. It doesn't have a different tone in that it's a sadder tone. Tonally, it'll feel the same as the original "Full House," which is heartfelt, and funny, and family friendly. But it's current. It's in today's times.
Will we learn much about D.J.'s late husband?
That's a good question. I think you'll learn little bits about him throughout the show. Just kind of you did on the original "Full House." I don't know any details of whether they'll have flashback scenes or anything like that. I have no idea. But we talk about it. Because when you have to. When that happens and you have children, it's something that you have to discuss. And discuss those emotions and the healing from it and how to move on with life...The baby's been born. I think for that very reason we didn't want to start it off quite so heavy. So some more time has passed than they originally intended.
When we first heard that DJ was widowed, we thought immediately, "Oh my god, Steve is dead." But then we realized Scott Weinger is coming back.
I know. Rest assured, Steve is not dead. So fans rejoice.
Have your own kids seen the original "Full House"? And how do they feel about the revival?
Yeah, they've seen the show and watched it. They're not mega-fans of the show, but my kids just don't watch a lot of TV. So my kids have loved coming to the set with me, and they're just interested in how it works. But they're really funny. Because they're going, "Wait, what's Joey's real name again? What's Danny's name?" And I think my son, Max, looked at Jodie Sweetin and he's like, "That's Stephanie? Wow, she's so pretty." He couldn't get over it, and just kept going, "Gosh, she's so pretty, Mom." Like, "I know, she is." So it's very cute. My kids are loving it.
What can you tell us about your new book?
"Dancing Through Life" was just released. And this book is about my time on "Dancing with the Stars." But it's much, much more than that. It was really about the journey of standing with courage and conviction on a platform in front of millions of people. So it really weaves my faith journey through a lot of it, and all the lessons that I learned week to week that apply to everyone through life in general.
What's been fun about your relationship with the Hallmark Channel, now that it's gotten so in-depth with the recurring Aurora Teagarden films and the upcoming holiday movie "On Time For Christmas?" You're so plugged in with them and the audience.
It's so great, because our brands are the perfect fit. And then just having known Hallmark for so long now, and then producing the films I've done more recently, it's great. Because I get to bring them projects. They bring me projects, and we just what's the best fit for both of us. And so that's really the best part for me is that it's a much closer relationship that way. That I'm really doing the types of movies that I want to do.
Would you like to direct a Hallmark film?
Nope. I have no desire to direct, but I love producing. Because I'm very detail-oriented, and I like making sure that things are done well. And I can see the vision of movies, the overall vision. But as far as the day to day of directing, I kind of wouldn't have a clue of where to start. That's just too much for my brain too handle.