John Stamos is an important figure in many households. For a generation, he’s a face we grew up with, whether we encountered him on his hit series “Full House,” which ran for eight seasons and a Netflix spinoff, or on the many roles he’s had in the years since. This time around, Stamos is back with a new role, playing a flashy cowboy on the second season of “Palm Royale,” joining a cast that includes Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Kaia Gerber, and more.
Kristen Wiig and Stamos on the second season of ‘Palm Royale’
Stamos can make any character, no matter how straightlaced, dynamic. In a show like “Palm Royale,” following a kooky social climber as she’s faced with strange, surreal, and always hilarious situations, Stamos feels right at home, bringing his signature charm and effortless comedic skills to a stacked cast of talented performers and a lush period setting.
I’m so grateful that I get calls to come on these shows and work with such great people, and you never know how it’s gonna turn out.
John Stamos
In a conversation with ¡HOLA!, Stamos opened up about his character, Dusty Magic, introduced in the series’ second season as one of Wiig’s romantic foils. His character is poised to shake things up as the series enters its latter half of episodes. Throughout our conversation, Stamos shared some details about his work with series creator Abe Sylvia, collaborating with stars like Ricky Martin and Patti LuPone, and some of his favorite roles throughout his career, which spans decades and includes some of the biggest hits of the small screen.
Your character appears midway through the season to shake things up. What can you tell me about Dusty Magic?
Well, Abe Sylvia called me, and I said, ‘What’s the character?’ and he said, ‘His name is Dr. Dusty Magic.’ I said, ‘I’m in (laughs). What does he do?’ and Abe said that he was a lawyer slash gynecologist. And I said, ‘I’m really in.’ And then I learned I was going to work with Kristen Wiig, and it was like, ‘When do I show up?’
I’ve just become, at this point in my career, finally confident enough to be fearless and grab a role and go with it. This was the perfect opportunity and environment to play. I came to set every day with certain ideas, and they were like,’ Do that, do that, do that.’ And then working with Kristen is one of the best experiences I’ve had on a set. She’s so smart and playful and inviting. You can just feel it when you work with comic actors like that. You throw a hardball, and they catch it and throw it back.
Watching the show, your character feels completely at home within that universe. You have this accent and amazing cowboy outfits. Was there any preparation to do this role and jump into this world?
From the script, I kind of had an idea how to play him, but I didn’t really, because he was written sort of straight. Then I went in for the first wardrobe fitting, and they had these really beautiful suits. And I asked, ‘How about that one? How about that shiny one?’ I put it on, and there was a rack of cowboy hats that I thought were for another character. They asked me if I wanted to try them, and I said yes. Then I put on these Elvis glasses and all of a sudden the character just clicked for me. I knew exactly how to play him and he had this swagger. The accent was supposed to be from South Beach, because they all sound sort of southern, but Abe was like, ‘Push that. Push that more.’ And it just came alive that way.
From the episodes I’ve seen, you have scenes with Patti Lupone, Kristen Wiig, and Allison Janney. Do you have any favorite moments of your time on set?
Any moment with any of those actresses was my favorite. It was coming to work and being involved in these crazy moments with Kristen, Allison, and Ricky Martin. There’s a scene where we’re all in a set that’s supposed to be Mar-a-lago, and at the end of the hallway, there’s Patti LuPone playing Merriweather Post. It was a magical moment. Every time I stepped on that set, it was magic.
Throughout your career, you’ve played a lot of memorable characters and have been involved in many great shows. In my mind, there’s obviously “Full House,” but also “Glee,” because I grew up with it and I loved it so much. Do you have a character or show that’s still with you and is still special to you?
Hmm, that’s a good question. Other than this one, I did a show called “You” that was on Netflix, where I played a shrink called Dr. Nicky. That was pretty interesting and fun.
I’m so grateful that I get calls to come on these shows and work with such great people, and you never know how it’s gonna turn out. That’s why I always, usually say yes. I don’t even care about the money. It’s usually about who I get to work with, and then it becomes about the character and all that kind of stuff. But I liked that character.
It’s also been 30 years now, and I’ve come to really be proud of “Full House” and Uncle Jesse. My son, who’s seven, watches the show now. There’s no central character. The central character was love, and that’s managed to hold up. I spent so many years trying to get away from that show and that character, and then when I finally embraced it, everything else came around. I get to do everything now: acting, music, theater. I’m glad that the show made so many people happy and that it’s put a message of kindness in the world. So yeah, I’ve come around to like that character too.
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