Poor John Stamos finally thought she shook the Full House thing when he married supermodel Rebecca Romijn. Being Mr. Romijn-Stamos was pretty cool, until they split, allegedly over conflicting views on having children. Stamos has tried to revive his TV career with shows like Thieves and Jake in Progress, but could never recreate the Full House magic until this year. Joining the cast of ER, Stamos has hit his stride and the show has enjoyed its highest ratings in years.
Hollywood.com: John, you’ve done a lot of shows that you started out in the cast…
John Stamos: That failed?
HW: Full House didn’t fail.
JS: Oh yeah, that was a hit. They said though, the reviews I got on Full House was, “This show won’t last ‘til Thanksgiving.”
HW: How is it to join an established show?
JS: It’s the best job I’ve ever had. I’ve been trying to do my own show for the last few years and I realized, “Wait a minute, why don’t I just go to a show that there’s already so many people watching?” And it’s a great show. The truth is, I’ve been talking to John Wells for years about coming onto this show. It just never felt like the right time but I think I realized recently, because everyone’s been asking me why I didn’t do it sooner, was I don’t think I was mature enough to handle this part and this show. So just timing-wise it felt like now was the time to do it but as far as joining new, it was very interesting. I felt very safe because there was a bunch of great actors on there with great writing and great directing. I felt like I was going to be in really good hands and that’s kind of what has happened.
HW: How are you handling the medical jargon?
JS: I make most of it up. No, they’re very specific down there about how to say—we have two really great doctors. One of the doctors, Fred… no, I won’t say his name. One of the doctors, I got a new car and he said, “Oh, I love your new Cadillac Escalahd.” He can’t even pronounce Escalade and he’s telling me how to say medical terms. But it’s part of the gig. It’s really something that you have to work on because it’s important to get it right and be authentic.
HW: Guys from ER do well with the ladies. Will this increase your profile?
JS: Oh, you mean in real life? That’s why I took the job. I gotta get more chicks. How can I do that? I don’t know. Who knows?
HW: How are things now, after the last few years?
JS: They’ve been really good. I feel, after my public divorce and everything, I think I was kind of searching and I was kind of starting over and I feel like with this show and where I am in my life right now, I feel like I’ve landed. Like I’m not starting over anymore, like I’ve landed and I’m in a really great place. My life feels very full and very satisfying. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. A place to go to work like this every day just changes your whole perception on everything.
HW: What are the requirements for the Dr. McDreamy-type role? Is it a special club?
JS: I will give you my own, the ER, I’ve been wet in every episode. So I think I’m going to be called Dr. McStayMoist. I think that’s the name that I want for myself. These guys sit in the writing room trying to figure out how to get me wet each week on the show. I think next week there’s a pregnant woman, her water breaks.
HW: Do you see yourself as NBC’s secret weapon?
JS: Well, me and Saget. We’re single handedly saving the network. The two idiots from Full House.
HW: Do you faint at the sight of blood in real life?
JS: I don’t really like it. My mom was in the ER a few months ago for a huge thing so I had to go in there. First of all, my poor mom had burned her house down. She’s fine, thank God, but I was just like concerned with her and yet I was also looking around for research and stuff. Saget, by the way, Saget’s been telling everybody I’m so into my job that I sneak into Cedars and do operations and that I switched a heart out with some woman. Like I gave some woman a new heart who didn’t need it but she’s doing fine and she’s okay with it because Uncle Jesse operated on her. No, it’s all fake blood and fake stuff so it doesn’t really affect me.
HW: Is it great being on a show with a legendary past?
JS: It’s so great. I’m learning so much. I really realized early on that you gotta come to this show with your A game. These people are so good at what they do, all of them, from top to bottom. The actors are so prepared, they’re so humble, so it’s really been a life changing experience for me and also, like I said, you feel safe. It’s like singing with an orchestra versus a piano or something. So I feel very just taken care of there.
HW: Any old Full House costars you’d like to operate on?
JS: Well, I’d like to give Saget a lobotomy. Quiet him down. He’s obsessed with me. He talks about me in everything now.
HW: Is ER a lot different than your General Hospital days? Why do you gravitate towards hospitals?
JS: That’s a funny question. On General Hospital, 25 years ago, I didn’t really play a doctor. I was kind of like a street kid so I didn’t have much to do with the hospital, but yeah, it’s kind of come full circle I guess. It’s kind of interesting how it all went.
HW: Do you still watch GH at all?
JS: I haven’t kept up with it but I do hold a very warm place in my heart for that show because it was my beginning. People still to this day, I go places and people call me Blackie, so I learned a lot from that show and I grew a lot. Gloria Monty was a huge influence to me and my career. Without her and without that show, I wouldn’t be on ER today definitely.
HW: Have you thought about inviting the Beach Boys for a reunion on the show?
JS: I saw the other day The Beach Boys have been on like every show that I’ve been on, but now they’re getting to the age where I think we have them on ER, they’ve got to play cadavers. Wheeling the Beach Boys on a gurney.
HW: Were you not on ER last year because of Jake in Progress? Were you held hostage?
JS: No, you know, they picked up the show. I don’t think it had anything to do with ER. They picked up Jake in Progress for a second season. I went crazy with ABC. I went mad the way they handled the whole situation. I was happy to do Jake in Progress again because I loved the show. I believed in the show and I think we made a really good half hour single camera comedy. What drove me nuts was they picked it up, I made 10-11 really strong episodes and they put it on one time. So I mean, for that, it was crazy. But they weren’t holding me. I think they really wanted the show. I think they thought it would go good with Heather Graham’s show. When that didn’t work out, they pulled me and promised to put me back on. That’s why I kept making those shows and it’s infuriating that they never aired them and I was fed up with ABC and happy to get the hell out of there. I felt like NBC needed me and wanted me and I think ER had the same feelings towards me and I couldn’t wait to get over there.
HW: ER was courting you. Did you ever think it might not happen?
JS: No, it was a great feeling to know that they wanted to have me there and I did a few episodes in between the Jake in Progress thing. Like I said before, it’s been hovering around me for so long and I just didn’t think I could add as much to the show as I can now. I felt like there’s a place for me on the show and I’m not getting in the way of anybody, and I felt this when I was in the theater too when I replaced people or come to a show that was already up and going. I feel like I can come on and bring a different dynamic and kind of spin the rest of the characters into different places. If people are feeling kind of comfortable, I can kind of come in and shake stuff up. I just felt it was never the right time to do that until now so I didn’t think it would have worked as much.
HW: Is this the most regular schedule you’ve had for a while?
JS: This is the most regular schedule I’ve had since Full House. That was one of the other alluring things to doing this job. I haven’t been on television consecutively longer than 13 episodes since Full House. Everybody’s kind of going, “Wow, we didn’t know you could act.” And I don’t blame people because I haven’t really had the opportunity other than doing Broadway to show people first of all, that I’m an adult now and I do really care about my craft and try to be as good as I can. So that was another thing that was like, “Oh great, I’m going to be on television for at least 2 years. I know a good amount of people are going to see me every week on a very high quality show.” And it’s all about kind of where I am in my life, craving stability. I live 20 minutes from the studio. I drive down there. I work real hard all day, come home. It’s the best.
HW: You’ve ripped on him so much today, are you still in touch with Saget?
JS: Yeah, unfortunately. He’s stalking me I think. This is a terrible joke, and excuse my rudeness, but he would open his act saying… I can’t even say it, never mind. I can’t do it. Yeah, I talk to him. He’s got this game show and the game show’s a big hit on NBC, right? I think the show is called 1 out of 100? I told him those are his chances of getting work after doing that show. But we’re the shining stars on NBC, the two idiots from Full House.
