WALTER JOHN STAMOS SCOTT ASKS...
The Full House star, 59, returns to season two of Big Shot (Oct. 12 on Disney+) as coach Marvyn Korn, fired from his college job and now teaching and coaching at an elite all-girls private high school.
How will Marvyn be different in season two? He realized that real connections are more important than winning games. He connected with these girls. He certainly grew a lot from being a full-time father to Emma [Sophia Mitri Schloss]. It’s [about] choices: This time he wanted to make the right choice from his heart and not from what he thinks he should be doing, or the perception of his career.
How did you prep to play a basketball coach? I knew the show wouldn’t work unless I really dug into being a coach, so I tapped into my dad a lot; he could be very firm. And I met a bunch of people, including Jerry West [who coached the Los Angeles Lakers]. I thanked him for allowing me to come to rehearsal. He said, “It’s not rehearsal, it’s practice.”
Full House is a big part of your life. Was there a period where it felt like a weight around your neck? Yep, 100 percent. I stopped fighting it because I knew it wasn’t going away, and it meant a lot to people. I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now without it, and I’ve done enough outside of Full House where I can say, “I’m more than that mullet-headed guy.”
Marvyn was kicked out of the NCAA, so Big Shot chances. What’s your take on that? Well, I’ve been given a second chance in my life and career. I made some bad decisions about seven, eight years ago and drove my car drunk, and I’ve since rectified that. So I believe that people, depending on what the issue is, deserve second chances. They may not deserve a third or fourth chance sometimes. I’ve never turned back. I got to have a second chance, so I do believe.