In November I had the trip of a lifetime. I got to walk the red carpet for the premiere of The Good Dinosaur, interview the cast, visit the set of Blackish and Grandfathered. The interview with the cast of Grandfather was amazing! We got to interview all of them – even John Stamos. He was very cool and funny. The whole cast really was amazing and we had so much fun learning about the actors and more about the characters of the show.
First we talked to Ravi Patel (Ravi) and Kelly Jenrette (Annelise). Ravi has created a snack bar that saves lives! This is a company he started. This Bar Saves Lives, a company that raises money to fight starvation by offering tasty, gluten-free and non-GMO snack bars for sale at Whole Foods Market and other top retailers. For every bar they donate a lifesaving meal packet to a child in need. He was very passionate about this product and it was exciting to hear about it.
Ravi and Kelly talked about the fun relationships they had with each other on set. Ravi plays a chef and Annelise is Jimmie’s right hand gal. They get a long like a brother and sister and they love to mess around with each other. Everyone’s really, genuinely good people. They are fun to be around. And they are joking around between takes.
Then we had the chance to speak with John Stamos (Jimmy) and Paget Brewster (Sara) . They play the parents of Gerald – but until recently Jimmy didn’t know he had a child. He doesn’t just have a son he has a granddaughter and this show follows Jimmy as he figures out how to be a dad and grandfather. Here are a few of the questions we asked:
How do you feel being cast as a grandparent?
John Stamos: Well that’s a good story. If you’ve seen earlier that when we came up with the show it was first pitched at a meeting. I was this swingin’ dude, and I thought about a kid. And then we added the grandkid part of it. But the most interesting character to me – and I think I was right because it’s turning out how it is, is the grand- is the woman that I got pregnant. Like here’s a woman on television, who’s single, in her mid-forties, and she’s not afraid to say it. Not afraid to call herself a grandmother.
And I think women across the United States are really loving this, and the best actress we could ever find to do it is this one. Seriously. I mean we had some little issues like women were afraid of playing that age. Or they had a little too much stuff goin’ on. And this one (Paget) came in. She plays great against me because I’m like, I don’t wanna be called grandpa. Call me anything but grandpa. And I don’t wanna be my age. And it’s a good…
Paget Brewster: I thought, assuming the worst about Hollywood, I auditioned thinking well, I’m not gonna get this. They’re gonna hire a thirty-two year old blonde chick and pretend she’s in her mid-forties. Like that’s TV in Hollywood. And then I came and auditioned with him and I had a blast. It was like, oh, I wish. I wish this would work out. It’d be great.
John Stamos: And it did.
Paget Brewster: So I was ecstatic and I don’t have kids. I didn’t get the chance or I would have done it with the wrong person. So I love playing the grandmother. It was too real to read this because it wasn’t…I’m not in a rocking chair. It was so well written, and a real woman, a whole adult woman with a point of view.
I am not a- that’s not a typical grandmother. That’s not what TV and movies usually read for. And this is great. And he…what’s funny about it is the idea of him as a grandfather. I just love the part. I’m thrilled that I get to be a grandmother. I get to have a baby, but I don’t have him all day.
John Stamos: Another thing, too, about this character that helps me and that also sends a good message. Old guy, stop chasing these young girls. It’s like get over that. Especially in this case and probably happens in a lot of people’s lives. It’s like maybe the one is right in front of your face but you have to compromise a little bit. She is this real woman, who’s smart, who’s beautiful, who’s funny, we have a lot in common in this particular case. Those themes are important for me to get out there. That character really helps show that.
Paget Brewster:But it’s risky. What if they mess up what they have now? Which is they get along and they goof on each other, but there is an attraction there and there’s a history there. And so it seems like Jimmy and Sara start to get close. And that feels good. It feels right. And he’s really fun to do scenes with, so.
They talk about the show:
John Stamos: This is an unconventional family show. We’re all over the place, and not married. But we’re learning to be a family.
Paget Brewster: We’re a whole family. But all of us are single. (Talking about her relationship with Jimmy on the show) It’s sort of the same…Gerald has a baby with Vanessa because they got pregnant by surprise. I sort of judge her. First, she’s wrong for my son, but that’s exactly what we do.
John Stamos: I think that the overall things that we like is that it’s about learning how to love your family or your mate, or kids, certainly. Like I’m learning how to be a father and a grandfather. There’s tools and stories that I think a lot of people can learn from.
Talking about the twins that play his granddaughter:
John Stamos: They are so good. It’s interesting, I guess I didn’t think about it much on Full House, but having that experience, and also being older, and really loving this thing, I’m super protective. I don’t know much about being a parent, but we all have tried to make this a happy environment for them. We are always doing the ABCs and counting. We don’t judge. I think some of that can happen. Especially with the twins. Like, okay, you’re crying. We gotta bring your sister. We don’t allow any of that.
Finally we interview Josh Peck (Gerald) and Christian Milian (Vanessa). They were so much fun and you could tell they really enjoyed working together and playing the parents of the baby.
Question: How is the chemistry on the set? I see the way you all interact with each other but how is it-
Josh: It’s magical! I think we’re just so incredibly lucky to, to have brought this group of people together and that we all like each other so much and there’s sort of this mutual respect and we’ve all gotten to see each other’s characters really grow.
Christina: I feel like we’re all outside of being our characters, we’re all rooting for each other. So it’s fun because I feel like when we’re watching a scene or we’re watching a show, we’re almost admiring each other’s acting and being like, wow I could do this better or oh my goodness, she did that so well.
Christina talking about Josh and John’s relationship with the baby because neither of them have kids:
I have to say between him and John, I really admire the way that they are with the kids, considering that they don’t have children. The same chemistry that the guys have with the girls when we’re not shooting, they’re playing with them, they took them to Disneyland. It’s super sweet and,it’s not like some photo op. Or when we’re not shooting, we’re playing around with them and eating donuts and jelly beans or whatever the heck we’re doing. So, it’s great to see the guys. It’s actually very refreshing.
Question: Does Vanessa have a clue that Gerald is into her?
Christina: (laughing) I think she does. She just knows he’s there. I’m always going to be there. He isn’t going anywhere. I can bring him around Edie and I don’t have to worry about him, and I can still live my life. It didn’t necessarily work out. I think their friendship gives her comfort, it doesn’t make her have to feel like she has to do anything else.
About Tonights episode:
JIMMY IS TRICKED INTO GOING TO THE DOCTOR ON AN ALL-NEW“GRANDFATHERED”
TUESDAY, January 5, ON FOX at 8:30 pm EST – Tune in or set your DVR!
Guest Starring Dr. Phil McGraw (“The Dr. Phil Show”)
After hearing that Jimmy hasn’t been to the doctor in over ten years, Sara and Gerald trick him into seeing their family doctor (Dr. Phil McGraw) for a routine physical, which results in an unsettling discovery. Meanwhile, Gerald and Vanessa stress over Edie’s upcoming surgery and Annelise and Ravi stumble upon Jimmy’s secret safe in the all-new “Perfect Physical Specimen” episode of GRANDFATHERED airing Tuesday, January 5 (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (GF-111) (TV-14 D, L)
Cast: John Stamos as Jimmy Martino, Paget Brewster as Sara, Josh Peck as Gerald, Christina Milian as Vanessa, Kelly Jenrette as Annelise, and Ravi Patel as Ravi.
Guest cast: Emelia and Layla Golfieri as Edie, Brandon Sornberger as CJ, Dr. Phil McGraw as Dr. Melvoy, Abby Walker as Cindy, AJ Rivera as Victor, and Laura Krafft as Keener #1.