Dave Coulier is best known for playing the goofy but loveable Joey on the family sitcom “Full House,” which returns to Netflix Feb. 26 in the reboot “Fuller House.”
Mr. Coulier may also be the inspiration for the greatest angry breakup song ever: Alanis Morissette’s “You Outta Know.” Or that may just be an urban legend.
The actor and comedian spoke about “Full House” then and now, why people think that song is about him and his upcoming musical storybook: “The Adventures of Jimmy Bugar.”
Question: Did you ever imagine that there would be a “Full House” reunion and new show?
Answer: I don’t think any of us did. We have heard the rumblings over the years. Fans asked, “Are you guys ever going to do a reunion?” But I never thought it would happen.
We did 192 episodes, became this nice, iconic family sitcom. It was television comfort food. There were a lot of values in the show that aren’t present in modern-day TV. People loved it.
Then everybody had splintered off, traveled into different creative directions.
Q: How did you hear it was happening?
A: [John] Stamos called and said, “We’re going in these meeting at Warner Bros. and at Netflix.” I said, “Well, when something happens, call me. Until then, I’m gonna go fishing.” Then I got another call from John: “This is happening. We need to put a deal together.”
It was somewhat laborious putting things together, and finally a deal happened, and we were off to the races. It was surreal trying to plug myself back into the fact that I was going to be back on this set, with these people, playing this character.
Q: What did you have to do to get back into the swing of things?
A: Absolutely nothing. It was remarkable how once we were all assembled, just from the table read, it clicked in so quickly. This may sound cheesy, but it’s amazing how much we love each other. We’re really close. We’re an off-camera family that has been there for each other through all kinds of things. It wasn’t as though we had to gain this connectivity again, because it was already there.
Q: Besides the name, how has the show changed?
A: It’s “Full House” 2.0. It’s an update that brings us to now in our lives and what we are all up to. The characters are pretty much the same. I think kudos have to go to the girls because they are really tackling the physical comedy with reckless abandon.
Q: How many episodes did you do?
A: I did three.
Q: Did you want to do more?
A: I did, but Netflix was really bent on “This is a reboot with the girls.” My concern was that if you remove me, John, Bob [Saget] and Lori [Loughlin], then you are removing a big chunk of what the show is. In my mind, I thought without all of us, it wasn’t going to a fuller house. You want the funny uncles doing silly things. You want that relationship. There was a lot of material there.
As good as the girls are, I think fans will want to see what they believe is “Full House.” I would hope that fans say, “Wait a second, we want more of these guys. Why aren’t these four a big part of the show again?” I’m not so sure fans will want an update without everyone.
Q: When “Full House,” ended what happened to Mr. Woodchuck?
A: I got to keep the puppet. But my dog Ranger ate his face. I came home one day and there was foam everywhere. My dog hated that puppet. He wouldn’t come into my office because I had the puppet sitting there. He would growl at it. I wish I had that moment the dog attacked on security video.
When we did Jimmy Fallon’s show — me, Bob and John — we did a “Full House” sketch. Jimmy said, “Can you bring Mr. Woodchuck?” I said, “My dog ate his face.” He asked if he could make a replica. “Sure!”
When I was leaving, it was like that Coke commercial with Mean Joe Greene. As I was leaving, Jimmy came out and said, “I want you to have this.”
Q: Is Alanis Morissette’s song “You Outta Know” about you?
A: Well, I dated Alanis when she was writing a lot of that music. I have nothing bad to say about her. She is one of the sweetest, kindest, most talented people I have ever met. We broke up. When her album “Jagged Little Pill” came out, there were lines in there of things that were familiar. When I heard “I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner” I remembered the moment. I thought, “This isn’t all me, but there were little slices in there that could be.”
Q: The question everyone wants to ask is, what movie was playing?
A: You do that popcorn corn box trick one time, and it comes back to haunt you. [laughs]
Q: When Sam Smith and Adele won Grammys, they thanked the people who broke their hearts. Did Alanis thank you?
A: No. We got together briefly and reconnected after “Jagged Little Pill” came out and she was on this skyrocket to stardom. It was so sweet and so nice. I said, “You know the press is hounding me on this. What do you want me to say?” She said, “You can say whatever you want.”
Q: If she walked in right now, would you hide?
A: No, I would give her a huge hug. I’d be very happy to see her.
Q: What else are you working on?
A: I’m finishing a musical storybook, an electronic children’s book called “The Adventures of Jimmy Bugar.” Spelled like “sugar.” It’s Jimmy’s adventure of trying to get into show business. It’s out April 1.
And continuing to do stand-up. I’m revitalized with the stand-up.
“Fuller House” debuts on Netflix Feb. 26.
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