By Amber Nasrulla
He’ll always be adorable Uncle Jesse from Full House, but John Stamos has earned critical acclaim this year for his role as Tony Gates on ER.
Gates is a Gulf War vet with anger management issues. He’s also a paramedic training to be a doctor. Complicated? Toss in the fact that he’s falling for Neela (Parminder Nagra) while living with his deceased best friend’s wife, and you’ve got juicy primetime conflict that’s hard to ignore. TV Guide sat down recently with Stamos in Hollywood, where he raved about Gates: “It’s clearly the best-written character that I’ve ever had.”
TV Guide: You’ve evolved from TV’s hottest uncle to its hottest new doctor. Congratulations!
John Stamos: You don’t feel it; nothing’s really changed that much … [But] it used to be [from fans], “Can you please sign my breast?” Now it’s, “Can you please sign my diaper?”
TVG: You’re credited with reviving ER this season. How’s the pressure?
JS: The truth is it’s a combination of things. For whatever reason, people did tune back in this season. I think people realized it’s still a great show; it’s a still a powerful hour of television. With the state of affairs in our world, people are looking for stability and some place that they feel comfortable in. And I think ER is that. It’s like coming home.
TVG: You’ve had your share of drama, professionally with the demise of series (Jake in Progress, Thieves) and personally, with the end of your marriage (to Rebecca Romijn).
JS: It feels like someone has given me the golden ticket. In the last few years, there’s been a lot of searching and starting over and trying to start shows and becoming single after 10 years. And just trying to navigate life. And now it feels like I’ve landed. I feel like it’s a really big, big break for me, and I want to take advantage of it and be as good as I can on the show. It’s the happiest I’ve been in many, many years.
TVG: And you’re enjoying the single life?
JS: I’m settled into it. I’m very much happy being alone; I’m happy dating. You know when you first become single you immediately try to replace what’s missing in that void in your life. And now I’m just very settled with all of it. Today. [He laughs.]
TVG: Are you in touch with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen?
JS: Yeah, we’re all still ridiculously close. With the twins, we kind of check in when things are happening in our lives. They own this hotel, I know that. [Laughs.] [Comedian Bob] Saget … he’s got a game show on NBC that’s doing well. I talked to [NBC CEO] Jeff Zucker the other day and I said, “The two idiots from Full House are saving your network.
TVG: What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done?
JS: I remember coming to my dressing room, it was either Full House or General Hospital, and there was a naked girl in my closet. And she was hot. But I was young and I was scared, so I ran out of the room. Now I’d lock her in!
Published: Wednesday, November 29, 2006