How John Stamos Is Embracing Being A Family Entertainer For Another Generation

John Stamos is still fully embracing what made him a household name nearly 35 years ago: being a family entertainer. You can now see Stamos in season two of Big Shot on Disney+.

This season on Big Shot, “Marvyn Korn” (John), a disgraced college basketball coach, is out to prove his high school women’s basketball team belongs on ESPN and recruits an unlikely player to do so.

The role was a major challenge for Stamos, who’s not a sports guy.

“It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, and I’m not kidding,” the 59-year-old actor told me via Zoom video. “I’ve put myself out there a lot. Being a doctor on ER was easier than being a coach, because I’m telling you, the lingo is just as foreign to me. At least the medical stuff is Latin, so you can kind of piece it together. I know nothing about it.

Fortunately, I have a good friend, Roger Lodge (current California sports radio host, former host of Blind Date), and he helped me out a lot. I really did have to dig deep into it because if I wasn’t believable as this coach, then there’s no show. And I didn’t know what was going to happen.

“I prepped as much as I could. I talked to people. I read books, John Wooden (legendary UCLA basketball coach) stuff and Bobby Knight (Legendary Indiana coach). And by the way, that guy’s funny, Bobby Knight. But I didn’t know.

“The first day of shooting the show, I was finishing Fuller House. And it was in the backyard, and the girls were getting married, and it was a whole wedding, and it was speeches, and very emotional and sweet. And then I drove across town, and I had to scream at these college kids and throw a chair and have all this anger. And I don’t know where— I think a little bit of it was my father.

“He was sort of a gruff guy— loving guy, but gruff. And just the writing, I trusted the writing, and it just kind of fell into place. But I constantly have to sort of work hard on the terminology and just the— I’m not a jock. I just didn’t come from that world. My dad said, ‘You go out of your way to hate sports.’ Someone always had to lose.

“I tried to golf. My dad was a golfer, and I wanted to spend time with him, so I took lessons. I said, ‘Dad, let’s go.’ And I went to the thing and I sliced the ball. And it flew right past a woman who’s maybe 85 years old, missed her temple by that much. My dad said, ‘Put the club— get in the car.’ But I could have killed somebody. So I said that’s it for sports for me.”

Taking on the role gave Stamos a new perspective on sports.

“I really do have a newfound respect for sports, especially women’s sports,” the Cypress, California native said. “We talk a lot about the inequality, which is an important thing to get out there. I talk about getting the high schools, the championship game on ESPN, because they only broadcast the boys.

“It’s,’Why?’ Girls actually— they play the sport better. They’re better at it. It’s better to watch. It’s more interesting to watch these women. And I’m glad that we get that across as well.”

Stamos’ performance in the series garnered accolades from an unlikely radio legend, John’s friend Howard Stern.

“The last interview (with Howard) I did, I was waiting for my turn to have that in-depth, deep hour-and-a-half interview, and we did it last time for Big Shot,” John said. “He called me. He watched.

“I was getting ready to do the show, and they sent him the links for the last season. And I’m getting a call, and it’s Howard calling me. And first of all, it’s pretty rare you get a call from him. He’s a busy guy. And I thought, ‘Oh, Ralph (Cirella, Howard’s friend, on-air personality) is dead, probably. Why is Howard calling?’

“And it turns out that he watched all the episodes. And Beth (Stern’s wife) played high school basketball. And I mean, he talked about the show like it— it was really one of the greatest calls I’ve ever gotten. And then he called me when Bob (Saget) passed away, and we talked for an hour. And it was like— again, it just shows his character. And people may think that he’s just a shock jock. He’s a good man and a good friend.”

Another Disney project the actor tackled this year is voicing Iron Man/Tony Stark for the Spidey and His Amazing Friends (Disney, Disney Jr.) animated series. John approached the role with respect for the iconic character and incorporated some old and new takes on the Marvel legend, only to learn he may have been taking the gig a little too seriously.

“I did overthink it, and I’m not a Marvel guy either. My wife is [into Marvel],” Stamos said. “And so I did a deep dive. The talent that they put in these movies early on, Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth (Paltrow), what a smart— what a brilliant franchise. I get why it’s so popular.

“It was a little daunting because it’s such an important character, and I wanted to be respectful, But I kind of came in with a little bit of Downey, a little rhythm in my voice and stuff, and they’re like, ‘No, no, no. Don’t do that, don’t do that.’ First of all, it’s for three or four-year-olds, and because I was starting to call [characters] nicknames… But it finally has settled into, ‘That’s my version of Tony Stark and Iron Man.’

“And it started to work. Really, I’m just trying to get my kid to think I’m cool. I’m just doing everything I can. I was on Mickey’s Funhouse, [where] I play a pirate.

“I really enjoy doing it. It’s just a way to get out there to entertain people. This world is … we need comfort food. We need good quality programming. We need, hopefully, good role models out there preaching love and happiness and appreciation and gratitude.”

The parents watching John’s Disney projects today have a special bound with the performer after growing up watching him play “Uncle Jesse” on Full House in the late 80s to mid-90s and now, they get to share his work with their children.

“I am happy to have [the bond]. This world is in a— I don’t need to tell you, it’s a little topsy-turvy right now, and we need shows like this,” Stamos said. “We need comfort food right now. And I think I could be part of that. That’s what I think about it.

“I really haven’t thought about it [much], but … I think people could look to me now and feel safe. And again, it’s like comfort food. I’ve been coming into people’s homes for 40 years, so that’s a great in. … So they go in that way, and then they trust me to take them on a pretty fun, interesting journey.”

After a long, lucrative career in Hollywood that remains steady and with a four-year-old son at home, John’s learned to appreciate “microtransactions” or the little special moments in life that are gone too soon, especially for parents.

I said in the very first episode (of Big Shot) last year, ‘Can you look in the mirror at the end of the day and say, ‘I did my very best today?’ ‘Was I loving? Was I the best father I could be?'” Stamos recalled. “Last night, [my son] was coming home from Disneyland and he was asleep.

“And I’m taking him, was going to set him down in his room quietly. And I had so much to do. I had to get ready for this, and I had other stuff. And I’m sneaking out and he goes, ‘Dad.’ I’m like, ‘Oh.’ ‘Could you read me a story?’ And in my mind, I was like, ‘I got so— yes.’”