I Could Be Stamos' Wingman

Over the course of the nearly 7.5 years that I worked on Continental magazine, I was lucky enough to interview a fair number of big-name celebrities, including Nathan Lane, Jennifer Hudson, Mitch Albom, Jesse L. Martin, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idina Menzel, Jason Lee, Joan Allen, Jason Mraz, Roger Bart, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. But I have to say, none of them was as much fun to chat with as John Stamos, who I recently interviewed for a freelance article in the magazine (my first such assignment since I left that job). And of course, I'm telling you this because the article is now online.

I spoke (by phone) with the erstwhile Uncle Jesse, who is currently starring on Broadway in a revival of Bye Bye Birdie, and the real bummer was that the article was so short and couldn't adequately convey just how cool John was. I mean, he volunteered to dish on the Olsen twins (I said no thanks, that I knew all I needed to know about them). We discussed how we're both single, and how we could go out together and be each other's wingman (full disclosure: the wingman thing was my idea — but he agreed). He mocked his buddy Bob Saget (something he does often), and spoke affectionately about another good friend, Don Rickles. And he was just so easy to talk with, so charming, so open, and so nice, that I wished I could have extended the chat longer than my allotted time.

If you're interested, here are some quick quotes from our interview that fell on the editing floor.

On "creating" a role in a new Broadway production, after stepping into other productions in the past when they were midway through their runs: "I’m happy that I got to do the other stuff first because I think I needed to pay my dues. And maybe I wasn’t ready before to do what I’m doing now. So I think I’ve worked for it. This wasn’t just handed to me. And I’m up for the challenge."

On maintaining his youthful appearance: "I take care of myself for the most part. People who aren’t from Hollywood, they say it’s special creams and ointments. But I guess genetically I’ve just been lucky to hold on to my youth. I’ve never had any plastic surgery or done Botox."

On his time on ER: "It was the best. It was the best adult role that I’ve gotten to play. And probably, with how challenging it was, the best time I’ve ever had on television. I mean, Full House was fun, but on ER I felt like a real actor. And I worked with some really incredible people that I learned a lot from."

If you're flying Continental during the month of November, you'll see my article on page 52. If not, just click here to read it. And of course, if you're in New York, go see John's show!