Lori Loughlin Interview - Full House Reunion

Photo: Matt Baron/BEImages.

Is there a 20- or 30-something girl out there who didn't completely idolize Aunt Becky? Come on now, don't be shy — we know you loved her silky hair, her kick-ass morning show job, and her blissed-out marriage to Mr. Have Mercy himself — Uncle Jesse, that is. So naturally, we jumped at the chance to chat with Lori Loughlin, the woman behind our most favorite Full House family member.

Of course, she is so much more than just Rebecca Donaldson — Loughlin has starred on everything from Summerland and 90210, to even an episode of Seinfeld (yep, that's a trivia fact right there!). Next up on her docket is her new show When Calls the Heart and a guest spot on ABC's wacky extraterrestrial comedy, The Neighbors. You can check her out this Friday night, but in the meantime, walk down memory lane with us, won't you?

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Now that you're a Hollywood veteran, do you find yourself choosing your projects differently?
"When I had children, I did start to choose projects differently. I chose projects that I was interested in doing, but that could also tailor to my life as a mom. Initially when my kids were very young, I had to make a lot of changes and I tried to stay only in Los Angeles. Now they're 14 and 15, I'm currently working on a series for Hallmark Channel and we shoot in Vancouver — but they block-shoot my stuff, so I go into Vancouver for five days and shoot, and then I come home for two weeks.

If the production company hadn't worked with me in that capacity to allow me to have the freedom to go back and forth like that, I probably wouldn't have done it. I really feel it's important with my kids to be there to raise them."

With all of the changes in Hollywood since you started acting, what sticks out as the biggest? Would you allow your children to pursue an acting career in today's industry?
"I would support my children in anything they wanted to do if they were really passionate about it and that was their dream. What I have said to my kids is to get a great education and get a college degree and have something to fall back on. I think the one thing that has changed since I've started my career is the invasion of privacy for celebrities. And, I'm a small-scale celebrity, but it's really escalated since I started my career.

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Paparazzi are all over the place whenever you turn around — you're at the grocery store, there they are; you're at the gas station, there they are. You come out of the pharmacy…I remember just recently I was at the pharmacy. I have two teenage daughters and I jumped into Rite-Aid because we needed tampons, and I was holding a box of tampons in line and I look up and there's a paparazzi in the window. And, I literally jumped and ducked behind a customer, because I just don't wanna end up in the section of Us or whatever it is with 'They're Just Like Us! They Buy Tampons!' by my image.

So, I would say in that regard it really has changed — and, I can't imagine if you're somebody like Sandra Bullock. I can't imagine what that would be like as you try to leave the house and take your child to school. Again, most of the paparazzi that I see are fine and nice, bu it's still a weird thing to have somebody chasing you down the street trying to snap a photo. It's really bizarre."

We can't help but notice that you and Candace Cameron Bure have been Instagramming a lot of pictures together — does the Full House cast still hang out a lot?
"You know, we are still very close. I actually just saw on Instagram yesterday that Candace was hanging out with Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber. We are still all in touch — Candace and I have been working together. She's been doing some films for Hallmark while I've been doing a series for Hallmark, so we're brought together a lot through that network.

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And, even this episode of The Neighbors that I'm doing that airs on Friday, Scott Weiner, who played Steve, wrote the episode. He called me up and said 'I'm on this show, Neighbors, and I wrote this part for you and I'd love it if you would come and do it.' And, I was so flattered and honored and I love Scott and we've kept in touch over the years. And, of course, Jami Gertz, who's the star of the show, is an old, old friend of mine, so I was excited to do it."

There are constantly rumors about Full House reunions. What would you want that to look like?
"I really don't know — I haven't given that question a lot of thought. There had been talk of a real reunion for awhile and I don't even know how or if it fell apart, but from what I understand, they were going to try and base it around Stephanie, DJ, and Kimmy. I don't really know how the rest of us would fit in, but I'm sure they would find a place for us somewhere."

Around R29, we've all got major John Stamos crushes, and we can't help but notice that he's currently single. Has he ever asked you to set him up, and do you have someone in mind for him?
"You know, he hasn't. John is a great guy and I'm sure he's just fine. He's never had any kind of a problem meeting women, that's for sure."

What do you think it is about Full House that's turned it into such a cult classic and caused it to be popular so long after its end?
"I think it's a show that has a lot of heart and I think it's funny. It's light entertainment and it's a feel-good show. We had such a good time doing it together and I think that translates. We had (and have) a real love for each other, and I think that really shows through."

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