Exclusive Interview: Candace Cameron Bure on her ‘Fuller House’ wrestling debut
Those pondering the fate of predictability probably didn’t expect to ever see a “Fuller House” mainstay competing in a wrestling ring.
Yet there was D.J. Fuller, played by Candace Cameron Bure, coming to the rescue of her TV son by stepping into the squared circle during a key moment in Netflix’s runaway hit series. Fuller, a grown-up version of Cameron Bure’s D.J. Tanner character from the original 1990s sitcom “Full House,” made major waves when her wrestling instincts took over in the episode, “The Legend of El Explosivo,” including impressively executed arm drags, a wild tilt-a-whirl reversal and even the first “Double El Explosivo” in “Fuller House” history.
Cameron Bure recently spoke with WWE.com to discuss her unofficial wrestling debut and her reverence for the real Superstars and Divas who ply their trade between the ropes.
WWE.COM: Could you tell us a little bit about how you first learned you were going to be getting into a wrestling ring for “Fuller House”?
CANDACE CAMERON BURE: Well, no one expected me to actually get in the ring. They had told me about this wrestling episode with the [Fuller] kids and it would be really fun and I said, “Oh, that’s so great!” My real kids love watching it; they think it’s awesome.
The first day in, they brought the stunt doubles and they said we’re just going to watch the stunt doubles. They’re going to work out the wrestling routine, and then they’ll do everything and we’ll just come in and do close-up face shots of me and edit it all together. Well, I watched the stuntwoman do the routine and I just said, “She’s not doing it! I’m doing it. I can do that!”
This was my favorite episode simply because I loved getting in the ring.
WWE.COM: Why did you think you could do it?
CAMERON BURE: Because those are the things I always loved doing. I’m not an athlete and I’m not a gymnast, but I’ve always loved any type of sport and fitness and I love running Tough Mudder or Spartan races and anything that’s strength. I also did “Dancing With the Stars,” where we did lots of tricks, and that was always better for me than the dancing because I’m strong that way.
WWE.COM: Did anyone try to stop you?
CAMERON BURE: They were all nervous that I wouldn’t do it and they didn’t want me to get hurt. I’m like, “Listen, I know I can do it.” All the producers watched the first cut and they couldn’t believe that I was doing it. It was so much fun; I had a blast.
WWE.COM: So how long did it take you to get the hang of simulating the wresting moves?
CAMERON BURE: We had two days to rehearse it. I spent maybe an hour or two each day practicing, and then we taped it on the third day. So I didn’t have much rehearsal time.
WWE.COM: Did you perform that in front of a live audience, or was that pre-taped on a closed set?
CAMERON BURE: It was on our sound stage, but we have a live audience. We have about 300 people that sit in our audience to watch our show. So I did perform it in front of our audience.
WWE.COM: How was that experience, performing it in front of the crowd, as opposed to the hours of training leading up to it?
CAMERON BURE: Oh, it was so much fun. Everyone was so surprised that I was doing it. Everyone was just assuming a stuntwoman would do it. Even some of our crew who didn’t quite see it from the beginning were assuming it was a stuntwoman. And then I would walk out and show my face; everyone’s jaw was on the floor. But, yeah, the excitement of the crowd, oh, it was great. No matter if I’m doing the wrestling scene or a normal scene in one of the sets, the audience adds so much more excitement to it for us as actors.
WWE.COM: The other day on Instagram, you posted a photo of what you called your “scissor kick.” Was it safe to say that was your favorite move?
CAMERON BURE: Yeah, that was totally my favorite move. Everyone freaked out after that. And it’s not really a hard move as long as you have good core strength. It’s the one move I did that I thought looked the most crazy, insane tough and people were like “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that’s you!”
WWE.COM: You mentioned that your kids are fans of wrestling. Was that the extent of your knowledge of wrestling?
CAMERON BURE: As a kid, I loved watching it. I used to watch with my sisters and my brothers. We watched WWE all the time.
WWE.COM: It seems like “Fuller House” has been a more physically demanding role for you than what we previously saw on the original “Full House.”
CAMERON BURE: I don’t know that any of us expected it except the writers. They always come up with these fun ideas and sometimes crazy ideas and basically they throw it out there and look to us as actors for what we can and do with it. So the fact that I was on “Dancing With the Stars,” they’ll ask, “Hey, we’d like to do some more dancing. Are you comfortable with that?” I said, “Of course!” I loved it. Let’s go for it.
WWE.COM: Last question: Do you think that’s the last time you’d get into a wrestling ring?
CAMERON BURE: No! I had so much fun doing all that stuff. If there were some other opportunities, I would totally be down. And thanks to all the wrestling fans who were enjoying it! I’m so glad. Thanks for the props.
The first season of “Fuller House” is available for streaming now on Netflix.
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