Actor and comedian Dave Coulier, best known as Uncle Joey on the iconic TV series “Full House” and its spin-off “Fuller House,” is the star of a new series on the Christian streaming service Pure Flix called ” Live + Local”. and recently spoke with The Christian Post about how his journey to sobriety has impacted his life.
The Sony Affirm series takes viewers on an adventure of what happens “when a veteran radio talk show host and his co-host have to navigate the ups and downs of the radio world as their new producer takes over,” according to a synopsis of the show. “This series offers an inside look at local Christian radio station K-HUGG and how they [el personal] handles [la transición] with grace and comedy”.
While Coulier retains some comedic aspects that fans are used to seeing, this role was quite different for him because he plays a bit of a curmudgeon.
“I got the script and saw that it was a real starting point for me,” Coulier said. “I had to wear a nice, big, bushy, real beard, my real beard. I had to grow it out and I had to play a very different character than most people are used to seeing me play. I got to play a bit of a curmudgeon, he’s a faith-based radio show host at a very small station but they’re number one in the market. So he’s a guy who’s just not going to change. He doesn’t want to do social media, he really doesn’t want to break it because he doesn’t feel like he’s broken. My character has a lot of flaws.”
The actor compared the camera work on the series to “The Office,” with lots of hand-held camera movements. He said that the radio studio, which was built specifically for the show, had six static cameras around this radio station for filming.
“I had a wonderful time doing this. There’s a bit of faith implements. We have a lot of faith-based rockers, magicians and comedians,” he added.
“Live + Local” features real guests on the fake radio show. One of which was John Cooper of the Christian rock band Skillet.
“I didn’t realize what a great rocker he is, huge, touring with great bands like Metallica and stuff,” Coulier said. “His family is such an integral part of his life; his wife is in the band with him, so that was really cool.
“I was really impressed with him, not so much as a rock and roll, but as a human being. That guy really pulled through and has such a faith-based family operating system that it was great to interview him.”
When thinking of Coulier, what comes to mind for many fans is his comedy, his impersonations and his acting, but he also has a spiritual side that has been ingrained in him since childhood.
“I went to Catholic schools from grade three to grade 12. So I’m really bad,” he joked. “I come from a very large Catholic community here in the city of Detroit, so the church was the central focus of it. It was really our meeting place and a place where we socialized, and it was a place where we helped those in need, and we helped each other. each other.
“It’s always been in my life in one way or another,” he added, “but I always say that was like faith training for me: going to parochial school.”
In his interview with CP, the father and husband also discussed how his drinking addiction was affecting his spirituality and other aspects of his life. For years, it was something he hadn’t noticed.
“I never thought I had a problem with alcohol and that was the problem,” Coulier said.
He grew up in a culture where families went out for pizza after hockey games and parents would pour a small amount of beer into a “little glass” for the kids. That’s how she grew up in the ’60s, she added. “It was a really different culture.”
“I’ve always compared alcohol to having a good time and everyone is laughing and jumping in the pool. And we have pizza parties, the parents are laughing and having a great time, as are the kids,” she continued. Wasn’t this awareness of the destructive capacities of alcohol: psychological, emotional, spiritual? That wasn’t really part of the vernacular back then.”
Coulier didn’t realize his drinking was a problem until his wife started “worrying,” he said. They often had a bottle of wine with dinner every night, but then it became more than that.
“It wasn’t something I ever felt out of control with. I’m a certified pilot with an instrument license. I was a smart drunk, that’s what I was. I’d take a few days off before I knew I had to fly so I could be very conscious and have very sharp and clear thinking. Then I would build my life around those moments of ‘I need to take it easy so I can do what I have to do,'” Coulier added.
“Same with being a TV director. Same with being an actor. I thought, ‘Oh well, I’m going to have a swollen face on camera, so I better stop drinking a few days beforehand. So it was very but when my wife, Melissa, started
d really cared and said, ‘I’m really worried about you, and I’m really worried about the drinking,'” his habits eventually began to change.
After suffering a bad fall that left large bruises on his face, Coulier realized he had a problem. Earlier this year, he posted a photo of his bruised face on Instagram and shared his sobriety testimonial.
“My wife was out of town and my friend said, ‘You better send her that picture before she gets home because that’s not going to heal in two days.’ And I told him, ‘You’re absolutely right. So I sent her the picture of her and she started crying. She just she said, ‘We really need to talk about this.'”
Even after the fall, it took Coulier another year of introspection where he said he was looking at his “own spirituality and my own life, to assess how this was going to affect my life.”
“I thought, ‘Will I still be the funny guy?…Will I still be the guy who makes everyone laugh?’ I thought maybe all these years, I’ve had a little liquid courage… Do I really need that? Is it a crutch? And what have I been missing romantically with my wife, spiritually in my life, psychologically, creatively? said.
The Detroit native finally decided to get sober on January 1, 2020 and has been sober ever since.
“I never wanted to preach to people. I just wanted to share my story. And if someone can see a little bit of themselves in me, and I can help them in that way, then that’s a real plus, it’s a real check in the positive column for me,” Coulier said.
The comedian also spoke to CP about loss following the recent death of his brother, Dan, by suicide, followed by the passing of his close friend Bob Saget and then his father.
Read more about Coulier’s journey through pain and his antidote to mockery and turmoil in the world in part 2 of CP’s interview with the famous actor to be published in the coming days.
“Live + Local” begins streaming on Pure Flix on July 7. Click here for more details.
Actor Dave Coulier Shares How Alcohol Addiction Affected His Spirituality, His Whole Life