Jodie Sweetin: From Addiction To Recovery To ‘Fuller House’
Jodie Sweetin stepped away from acting after the wildly successful Full House ended. Life had it’s ups and downs since then, but Jodie says she is excited to be back with the rest of the Fuller House crew.
The former child star considered retiring from acting for good. In a recent interview with the Chicago Tribune, Jodie Sweetin explained her absence from acting and why she decided to return to the small screen.
After Full House ended, Sweetin went on to a normal life. However, addiction took its hold on her. After finding recovery, Jodie decided to give back and began working as the director of operations at a drug and alcohol treatment center.
Sweetin told Us Weekly in 2009 that addictions controlled her life. From alcohol to meth, the actress apparently tried it all. She even confessed to driving drunk with her baby daughter in the car.
“That was the big rock bottom. I had two glasses of wine and drove with her in the car. I not only put myself in danger, but also my daughter, who I loved more than anything. I felt terrible.”
Jodie Sweetin talks about #FullerHouse, a rumor she died on a roller coaster, and more. http://t.co/3ZM0ws2S5z pic.twitter.com/vxalYfoKmh
— Chicago Reader (@Chicago_Reader) August 18, 2015
It was after she came to grips with what she had done that she sought treatment.
“I got sober for good on December 7, 2008. I was flying to L.A. and I ended up taking a bunch of Nyquil and drinking a s***load. When I got home, I got a call that there was an emergency custody investigation because of my drinking. From that day forward, I threw myself into going to AA and avoided people who do blow off their coffee tables.”
After getting her life back together, Jodie continued to act here and there. Sweetin says she was happy with her life as mother to two and never really considered returning to television until Netflix announced in April that it had picked up Full House and would call the reboot Fuller House.
When the Netflix reached out to her, Jodie couldn’t resist the opportunity to reprise her role as Stephanie Tanner and rejoin her former castmates in the reboot.
Jodie Sweetin didn’t die on a roller coaster at Six Flags http://t.co/6fxhi7MvKc pic.twitter.com/Rw2t5jCmuL
— Comic Con (@comicconrr) August 19, 2015
“I was completely on board with it. I stepped away from (acting) for a little while and enjoyed a normal experience, but when this came along, I got to go back and do the thing that I love. I missed it terribly and am beyond thrilled to be back.”
Jodie Sweetin says she also felt an obligation to return, in part because of how important the show is to her own family.
“The show is so well loved. My kids are seven and five and watch the show. They think it’s hilarious to see their mom as a kid doing silly stunts and dance moves on the show. They come to the set now and are so excited to see me doing it again. They’ve known the cast their whole lives from barbecues, birthday parties and swimming.”
Fuller House is currently filming and is scheduled to wrap up November, according to Sweetin, and reassures fans that the Stephanie Tanner they know and love has changed little.
“Stephanie still has her spunk. She’s a little wild and crazy.”
Jodie Sweetin and the rest of the Fuller House gang will return to Netflix in 2016.
[Image via Twitter / Jodie Sweetin]
