John Stamos did not initially play the role of playing a basketball coach on his latest show, “Big Shot.”
“I was a fan of the group at school, now I’m a fan of the group; I never did sports, I never saw sports,” Stamos, 57, told The Post. “It cost me more to learn basketball slang than medical slang when I was in ‘ER’ playing doctor, not kidding.”
On Friday, April 16, it premieres at Disney + (with new weekly episodes), the sports drama series focuses on Marvyn Korn (Stamos), a male college basketball coach who ends up having to work at a private institute exclusively for to girls. resorting after his temper costs him his NCAA job, to his dismay.
“I got a call from my agent telling me,‘ You’re getting an offer on David Kelley’s new show, ’” Stamos said. “And he was saying to me,‘ I love David Kelley! I’m playing a lawyer, is he like one of those dark characters from ‘Big Little Lies?’ And they said, “It’s a basketball show.” And my heart sank. Of all things! I said, “Am I a player?” and they said, “No, you’re a coach.” And I said, “Okay, great … what does a coach do?” ”
Despite reservations, Stamos delved into the investigation, he said, spending time with NBA legend Jerry West, who entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
“He told me it’s called‘ practice, ’not‘ rehearsal, ’” Stamos said.
But it wasn’t just the subject that bothered the actor. Marvyn’s character was also out of her comfort zone.
“He was nothing like anything he had ever done, and he was nothing like me,” Stamos said. “He’s nasty, he’s not a people person. He doesn’t have charm.”
Once he was on set, Stamos decided that the best way to inhabit the naughty coach was to stand on his own.
“I had no outside interaction with the cast. I didn’t want to get to know the girls very well, I wanted to get to know the girls like Marvyn did. It cost me a lot, because that’s not how I usually work, ”he said.
Finally, Stamos nailed it enough to impress Jerry West, as well as one of his idols: Howard Stern.
“I was getting texts from a New York number I didn’t recognize and I got one that said,‘ Pick up, it’s Howard and Beth! “” He said. “And I faced FaceTimed, and they kept going on how much they liked the show. He’s a hero of mine, a friend and someone I admire.”
Stamos occupies a rare space in Hollywood, as he has been prominent for several decades with a number of hits at the waist (“General Hospital”, “ER”, “Full House”, “You”) and has not seen any setbacks. or faded into the darkness like many stars of the shows of the 80s and 90s.
He attributes his longevity to his attitude.
“I think the first woman days are out the door; the days of ‘I don’t get out of my trailer.’ If anyone does, it’s like I’m fine.” He said. “There are so many actors and actresses who need work.”
He gets it, in part, from the lessons he learned from his father, the late restaurateur Bill Stamos.
“My father had a great influence on me in many things. My dad had restaurants and treated the busboy in the back washing dishes in the same way he would treat his best customer. I try to keep it. “
Stamos is a relatively new father, as his son Billy (with actress / female model Caitlin McHugh, 34) is 3 years old. Staying home with the little boy, who gets his name from Stamos ’father, has been the driving force behind last year’s pandemic, he said.
“I never would have imagined that I would spend so much time with him. But in addition, it touches a lot on what is important and what is not important. Being obsessed with his career is one of those things that I realize isn’t that important during this time. “
Quality time with the whole thing includes watching children’s TV together and showing them scraps of baby food that Stamos has made in the past, like the musical “Bye Bye Birdie”.
“But I’m mostly watching kids shows with him … He sure makes you say,‘ Oh man, I’m glad I paid attention to the kind of TV I did that was aimed at kids. For that is a bit of responsibility, ”Stamos said, referring to his long stint as Jesse Katsopolis in“ Full House ”(1987-1995).
At 57, Stamos is already at the end of fatherhood, but that doesn’t bother him.
“I’m glad I have the time, energy and patience to spend time with a 3-year-old right now and I don’t have to worry so much about my career, or the money, or the things a lot of people have to deal with. with. I am very lucky and grateful ”.