How Rude, Tanneritos!We’re back with Marla Sokoloff - the bad influence known as Gia to Full House fans - and we learn even more about her incredible career and life.
Welcome back to how Rude Tanneritos. We are back with part two of our interview with the beloved Marla Sokoloff. This interview is so good you guys, We can't wait for you to hear the rest of it. So what was it like when you got the call that Fuller House was happening and that we wanted you to be a part of it and come back and reprise the role.
I mean was so excited.
I think Jeff had called me even before I got asked. It was like during season one and he was like, I want to let you know you are going to be on it because you probably already sense my like rejection, but he was like, there will be Gia, don't worry. I just have to figure out how we're going to do it, and I want to get the show up and running first. So I was so excited. And they really went out of their way to keep it a secret from the audience, which was really fun.
They did love surprising the audience with like bringing the guest stars back and stuff, because people did lose their mind. They would be so excited.
Yeah, lost their mind, Yeah you got.
You got a massive applause when you walked into Stephanie's. But yeah, during the girl talking was so huge applause.
Yeah, no, it was.
It was really fun, so fun. I'll never forget that. And it just the surrealness. I remember you guys had already been doing it for a while, and I think I said to one of you, like, is.
This crazy to be back on the.
Stage with the set and like the dressing rooms upstairs, like so much of it just was yeah, so surreal.
Do you remember us getting in trouble one afternoon? For we had gone over to the Warner Brothers store okay where we you know, you could get like whatever. It was like an employee discount or something. You know, you worked there, and they had all the Warner brother all the Warner records, all the music available in there when you would, you know, go buy CDs at an actual physical store right back in the dark ages, and the Green Day album had just come out and we were there. I think like my mom and maybe Sherry had gone to lunch or maybe my mom and your mom. I don't know, but my mom like had left for a while. It was like going shopping. So I was like, we have the dressing room all myself, so we put the Green Day album on.
Oh my god, blast it, blasting.
It, yes, lasting it, and didn't realize like they'd started rehearsal and we were just like a Green Day just rocking out in my room and I think Becca, our ad came and was like, can you turn it down, like we're trying to make a show. Yeah, we're trying to make a show. And we were like, oh, we're just being like all year old girls rocking out to Green Day And.
No, I totally remember that. That was the best. It was so fun. Yeah, I don't remember going to this store, but.
Yeah, we like we were we that was you know, we got to like walk around on the lot by our mom would be like okay, fine, you guys can go to the commissary by yourself. You know, we'd have an hour free. It was like off campus lunch. So we'd go watch the commissary and go to the Winner Brothers store and we're like look at us, like we're like the adults, like by ourselves. But yeah, it was weird, ridiculous, best feeling right, probably still probably trying to smoke stolen cigarettes somewhere the.
Yeah, just like clothes.
Yeah, part of your method acting got smoke back in the Commissary.
Wearing we were both wearing crapped.
I remember there was like on tape days there was like catered meal.
Do you remember stage on Thursdays?
And if we do that for Fuller? Did they or was I just uneinvited?
No?
No, No.
Seasons of Fuller, remember when we were on the the smaller stage for the first season and we would walk next door to dinner at that other empty sound stage when we were doing Fuller's.
Right, that was like yes, season one. Yeah, we were on the two and a half men's.
Stay men's stage and it was a lot smaller, and yeah, it was kind of we were doing it a little bit differently then, but I think on those Friday nights we would get we would go over there and have dinner. But then eventually it was just like the meal tickets and they send us over to the Commissary, which I preferred so I could get my tunea melt.
You had to get your tradition sandwich before every show, your pre game meal. That's my pre show ritual, every pickle.
Every time I see a tuna melt or order one, I think of Andrea Barber from the og full house days because that was we would go to the to the like lunch truck the roads coach right on like the white you know, nondescript food truck on the Lorimar Sony lot and we would go and get Martinelli's apple cider and Tunea Melts and they were delicious. But that was love.
Now I went to tune mel Now right now I'm hungry.
It's such good comfort food.
But yeah, that was But I do remember us going yeah with Commissary was like our our adventure time, you know, weird growing up on a lot. Like it's so I always think, like I laugh because I get on a studio a lot and I'm like, oh, yes, this is you know, this feels this chaos feels comfortable, like just driving through the lot and there's all manner of things happening and like, you know, just weird stuff you see that You're like, that's normal, and it just like there's no better feeling for me than when I'm on a lot or a sound stage or on set somehow. Like I'm just like, ah, yeah.
If you're there for like an audition, because I feel like that sends me into like a little bit of a spiral.
When's the last time I do? You and I have seen each other at many an audition though, Yeah when we were young, Remember I saw you at like Paramount once, Paramount once, but I no, I think not Paramount, CBS rad for.
That were sitting recently.
I'm thinking like between like post full House, I remember seeing you at Paramount and then yeah.
Yeah, and then bringing up as like adults we were in we were both in on again some callback on something and it was like sitting in the hallway. Now you really go on set though, or on a lot for auditions.
Thank god. I don't want to do that ever.
I miss that though, see I missed you. Yeah.
See. I think there's two schools of actors.
There's ones who love that and they want to see people and they want to be in the room.
I'm like, I'm sorry.
We get to do as many takes as we want in the privacy of our own home without traffic and amen.
Yes, yeah, I don't like that because it's like so hard. It's just so hard to like feed off of any energy. I guess I don't know, Like for me, it's.
No, it does put you in a bad position a little bit. Isn't it.
And I like I like getting notes. I like to be able to do something and then if the casting director or somebody's like, hey, could you give it you know again, could you give it a little more edge? Like you have such a sweet face? Can you do something like? I feel like there's a lot of auditions that you'll submit on and have they been able to give you a note on something? And I'm like, oh, I could totally fix that. And that's what I like being in the room is like I can play around with it a little bit more. Tapes are always scary because it's like I thought this was good, but you might think this is not at all what you want from the character.
If I have no idea, Yeah, yeah, no, I totally agree with that. I think maybe best case scenario is when you do a zoom like callback. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I just I yeah, it's so interesting. There are literally two schools like people love it or hate it.
Yeah. I feel like when we first started doing.
The self tapes, I really thought it was crazy and it was so out.
Of well that well, then then the pandemic came and everyone learned how to self tape themselves. Basically, whether you were in entertainment or not.
And now if I were to get like an in person audition, I would probably need to like medicate myself.
I would be so nervous going to it.
I remember the even as I relate to the seeing you in the hallway, and we're like again sitting in the hallway, and I think we were joking because we were like here we are years later, you know, like sitting on the ground in a hallway full of you know, other actors, and all like yeah, and we could and do you remember that, I all of a sudden remembered we could hear everything. It's in the room.
It's so cruel. I remember that.
Psychologically, Oh my.
God, it's such torture because you can hear the person and the room, so like you hear the choices that they're making and the response they're getting.
You're just questioning every choice.
Then all you do is just sit there and go my choices, suck, my choices, suck. I made terrible ones. They like that better, they and like it's just it's they.
That I have to make my voice go up at the end of that line, okay, right right.
And then you're like, oh no, they oh that's it. Why am I even going in here? And then yeah, it's just that's the worst one.
It's in there for like forty minutes and then you go in You're in for like.
Four right right, yeah, this is the word.
You're going to hear him in there and they're like, hey, good to see you again. Where you're like, oh.
Great, Yeah, it's like their godfather.
This is it? Oh perfect, And yet you're still still I never feel more at home, right, it's a.
M yeah, no, it is something. Why do we do this for punishment? City over here?
When you do self tapes at home? Is Alec your reader? Your husband?
Is he your reader? Or who?
Like that's my biggest beef is I hate having to provide my own reader.
I don't really do.
I'm not trying to act anymore so I'm mainly directing. But when those days were happening, it was Alec and I do blame him for the demise of my acting career because he truly sucks.
And or he would I feel like he is really so bad and he would want to you know, so, what what am I doing in this scene? And like where are we?
I'm like, you're doing You're doing as little like, this is your audition.
So just say say the words please.
And but now if if I were to do it, I would probably just have like a friend because that was causing a.
Lot of fights. He also is like one take, He's like, Okay, that was great, and I'm like, well, no that I need one more reason.
That's what.
No, you don't, you're good.
I actually go to a place where I do a self tape with like a person who's a reader, and they have the lighting and the thing.
I just it's you go to much better.
No, I go to the Creation Station Studios in North Hollywood. A little shout out to them.
But Intrepid's great too, and they have really good actors there. That's why I liked them so much. They're they're actors, you know.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's same here too, and that's important, like great, yeah, keeping keeping us actors busy doing things in between jobs anyway.
But I also like it because you feel like you're an audition, like you have to be off.
But what I mean, it's like there, yeah, you have.
To look good, you have to be prepared, you know, So I do. I do prefer that.
Plus I don't think I could get Mescal to do an audition. He'd be like, I, well, which is probably for the best. He would be like, I am not the right person for this.
Oh it's the worst. Yeah, I used this Michael dol Yeah, Michael my boyfriend. He's usually my reader. But he tries to act and I'm like, don't you're distracted. Aligns with me on Fuller, he would run lines with me. So he would be Fernando usually trying to do the Argentinian accent.
Stop it.
And He's this tall white man with a red beard, and I'm like, no, stop, Like, just stop trying to act. Don't do an accent. It's so distracting that Yeah, you're right, it makes it. It makes it worse, and it causes marital strife.
Like it's no win situation, no bad news. Let's just do this away from the family.
Yeah, it's a better idea, but I am hearing that it's going to start going back to in person. So Andrew and I we need to figure out some sort of a an.
I do think there I'm saying I think there are a lot of I think casting directors also like to get the vibe of a person, you know what I mean. You walk into the room again and like they can, they can be one thing on their self tape and then they walk in there and be like, oh my god, you're insane, you know, or you're Although if that disqualified people from this business, one would work insane. Oh my gosh, we love you. Here's always the actor, right, yeah, speaking of insane, what was dude, Where's My Car? Like? Because that was such a again, such a like like two thousands staple movie.
When I think of that movie, I think of trying to not laugh and when you have to like tell yourself bad thoughts in order to not be the one to ruin the take because everybody was so funny.
And bad thoughts like what like just picture horrific accidents.
Exactly, like like someone you love dying, Like I had to go to dark places just to not laugh, you know.
But what if you make jokes about that and then then you're just now you're laughing more, Because that would be my problem is I'd be like, oh really, yeah, yeah, yeah, it would be all bad.
But yeah, we had a great time, and I remember it being like the dead of summer, you know, like Ashton was on his hiatus from that seventy show. So it was so hot and it was a very long shoot because those were the days Whereen Productions had like money to shoot, which is so nice.
So yeah, you'd get like sixteen hour days and like like a month or more to shoot.
AMM remember it being like the whole none.
Of this thirteen days. What do you mean you can't do it in thirteen days?
Literally like twelve twelve days. It's pretty standard. But I just we had the best time.
It was so fun, and I had such a big crush on Sean william Scott, Like it was intense, right, So yeah, it was fun.
Sean Williams Scott always reminded me of Scott White. I could see that from the they like from the episode and so whenever when you were in that movie, I was like, oh my god, it's like it's like our little wild Joy right again, except there's the car missing, but like it's about a car. Yeah, I don't know. It was like my my little brain was like making connections and travel. Yeah. I love that. It's funny and I just love that, like you were in so many iconic That one.
Is a very I mean talk about niche Like that one was not a hit on any level. When it came out, I remember it being like a flop, but then when it.
Well, it was a it was a bong hit, but it was you know what I mean, like it was a it was a movie first.
So I know my people and someone comes up and knows they were just.
Slow on the updates. I mean, they're like, we'll get around watching it, just give us a little bit exactly.
When somebody comes up and recognizes me from that, I'm like, I know everything I need to know about you, like I know my.
People and you're like, where's my car?
Yeah?
I want to talk about your your directing career. Yes, I don't. I don't know much about that. You've directed several several from Sweet On You Rose All Day and a Christmas Blending Christmas.
That was a Rady bunch talk to me create Christmas movie, which was very fun.
Oh okay, So how did you foray into directing?
And uh? I how did say? It was?
It kind of was born out of what we're talking about, just that frustration with acting and going into all of these rooms and sitting in waiting rooms with Jodie Sweet and being like what am I still doing?
That really was yeah, I'm.
I'm really still doing this.
And it's somehow I think having kids made it less fun for me, because I would get so depressed.
Now you're like, I now need a job, Like I need a.
Job, like, yeah, I have these girls who are looking at me, going, why is mommy crying because she didn't get a job.
It just felt like the whole thing just it was hard for me.
And I would literally pull up auditions and not want to get out of the car because I just didn't want to see more dead eyes staring at me on something I'd worked so hard on. And any job I was getting was relationship based or whatever. So one night I was crying to my husband at a bar and he just looked at me and he said, you have so much material that you've written over the years, go make something. And it never occurred to me that I could actually do that, and so I did. I had this short that I made and it wound up being, you know, pretty successful, which was great, and I directed it and I was in it and I loved the directing parts so much more.
Was that the preschool one? Yes oh yeah, yes about.
Like the crazy parents, right, And it was born out of my children's preschool, Like you walk into their school and there was a picture of every kid in the class and what they couldn't pultn't eat, And I just thought, this was never like this.
When we were growing up. You know, you just ate what they gave you. So, I mean, my daughter now has a dairy allergy, so I think the joke is on me.
But she did it then, right, come on, people just eats Oh well wait, maybe not.
But yeah, So it was really fun.
And then I decided, I think I you know, it was it was the first time in my life where I felt like, oh, this is actually what I'm supposed to be doing, you know, and it was very clear to me. And so I took off two years and I shadowed every director I possibly could and just tried to learn as much without going to film school.
But our film school is our experience, right, so exactly.
And then I shadowed a director of a movie that I was in and I was filming in Utah, so I was away from my kids, and I was able to really throw myself into shadowing like the way I'd always wanted to. And that company who I know you've worked with before, Jody, like Jeff Shank and Peter Sullivan. Yeah, they pitched me to Lifetime and they wound up hiring me, so I wound up Yeah, so they were really big champions of me, which was really exciting. And yeah, it's just kind of taken off from there.
I love it.
I love it.
But what do you find the most challenging part of directing? Because that would stress me out, Like being the head honcho where everybody's coming at you and like asking questions that would stress me out.
You do have to multi time, I mean, yeah, yeah, I think the thing that stresses me out the most about being a director is just the judgment that because a lot of the time I have to win my crew over. You know, I work with a lot of the same guys. Now it's been a couple of years. I think I've been directing for like six or seven years now, so I have my like people. But at the beginning, people knew me as an actor, and so I think the bar was set very low and that used to really be hard for me to feel like people didn't think I knew what I was doing, and you know, so it's kind of like winning people over, showing them, you know. I remember my first production meeting I ever had. I felt like there was one particular crew member who I felt like was challenging me almost and within a group of people asking me questions that you know, luckily I knew, but he didn't think I would know.
I'm so not shocked that you said he I'm sorry, sorry, sorry side note.
But yeah, yeah it is.
And I remember I was just so strong in that production meeting. But I went to my hotel room and stobed to my husband, you know, because I didn't want anyone to do I don't cry obviously ever, so I wouldn't want anyone to know that I cry.
But I definitely went.
Back to my hotel room and I was like, they all think I'm stupid. But now I feel like I have won that knowledge, and I feel like people don't think that way of me anymore. I hope they don't, but at the beginning, that was my biggest challenge, is kind of getting out of my own way and knowing, you know, that I'm there for a reason, and.
What other people think of you as none of your business.
None of your business. I say that to my daughters all the time.
True, yeah, doesn't matter. I don't care what you think. Yeah, I mean I care, but I don't right right, I have one hundred percent care, But also I don't you know, I don't know. It depends on the dayct like you don't ask me, depends on how much therapy.
Oh gosh, guys, is that the truth?
Would you ever come back and do Fullest House? If there's a full I played, ga.
We just are asking everyone. We're like, would you do Fullest House? I think at this point we've got a full roster. We're just going to start doing.
Yeah, you should create it.
We can just do it my garage, you know, right, we don't have to Yeah, I mean yeah, Marlarl direct, it's right.
I mean seriously, yeah, we have a full team.
It's kind of true.
We've I mean, I really am all for you taking this on. I think that would be so genius and people wanted. I think people were very I mean you you guys know like it was such it was so premature that it ended. I don't feel like it's true.
Well, I think if we give it another like twenty years, I think then it'll be like right now, people might be like, oh that's kind of sad, but like twenty years will be like, guess what, we're old, we're wrinkly, and we are coming for you. And they'll be like, I want to see this traight.
I love girl talk in the old age home. Maybe like they.
Girl to be the musical band for this. Yeah, still singing. I saw the sign, you know, right, So it's although once I saw the sign with my glasses on, is what it is this time? For I saw the sign? Is that a P or a D? Right? You know what I mean? Like a vision?
It's great, but yeah, I love this for us. It's definitely the.
Crop tops are out though, uh you know what, I'm gonna be so old and crazy that I'll be like I will wear a shorter crop top than I did when I was thirty. You give zero so proud.
I could tell you that much, non non zero.
I give very little right now and they're just flying away with each day.
Marl, I have a very important question for you because you're you're one of my favorite follows on Instagram. I just think you're so fun. You're the best product recommendation. I am a big watching Yeah, you are so good like spot, I love me.
A lot of the time. So you're welcome.
You have you taught me about the sleep crown, like I use my sleep.
Crown every night. Wait, wait, wait, what is a sleep When I did kill I have.
A very important question for you from Andrea, and I was like, oh, okay, give it to me.
What is it? And when it was about the sleep crown, I was so honored.
Yes, what is it?
It's the sleep crown. You introduced me to the sleep crownd it's keep saying what is it? It's a it's a pillow, right, but it's like a giant sleep mask because it can It's kind of like a weighted pillow, but not so much that you're gonna suffer like like you I've seen these. I tuck it behind your head and it it kind of blocks out just enough sound that you can't hear your children, but you could hear maybe a murder that's happening. And it blocks out the light. So if you're napping in the middle of the day, it can help with your sleep hygiene.
Because I still have like a baby monitor, which is very annoying to have like a blaring light in your face. So but I still need to hear it. So's I think you explain it perfectly, Like I get still she's up and crying. I can hear it, but it's that like okay that I don't hear, you know, like the little white noise in it. Got it, okay, Jody, and I paid for mine, you I could get one sent to you.
So I'm gonna. I'm on sleep.
Okay, I pay.
For my name, but let's get them as a sponsor.
I am all about anything to help me sleep because it's it's a female. Sometimes it's great and sometimes it's terrible. I love it, love the female.
To see it. It's great.
So yeah, we're I'm definitely going to try. I'm gonna I'm going to reach out to her. She couldn't be lovelier. And they have these drops and all these companies now the kids today, they do drops. So you can't go onto a website and just buy something. For certain companies, it's like drop on you know, February third, Like.
You said drops. I was like, like like a serum I am. I'm like like a like a right and so right right release. It's it's a.
Release and the owner of the company is see me order it so many times again because my daughter's stole mine.
So I had to keep replacing mine. And then there's a travel one.
So I needed the travel one anyway, and so now she gets me the travel like fifteen minute access before the drop.
Oh look at you you are Okay, Now I'm gonna need the hook up. Wow, I'm gonna yeah, I'm definitely gonna check this out.
She's the best. So I love your meal I love your meal plans that you post weekly. I love that you make fun of your husband for like his washing and all of all of the things that he does.
Well, he killed your career, so.
Kill people sometimes think, I mean the amount of things I don't show of him because it's like I always get approval, you know, like can I.
Post this right right?
You're like, I'll make fun of you, but like okay.
No, he'll be in like my bathrobe or something. He's like, you cannot post me in that.
So fair enough.
But the amount of things I don't post of him are you know, And it's true. I married Danny Tayner. I mean he is, oh, such a clean freak. It's crazy, which is great.
Wow, the irony of that, you know, Ga, Mary's Janny. I mean not like in a way, not sorry that but like you know.
I mean he will. Yeah, he gets in crevices. I didn't know this house had.
Wow, that's well, you know that's an asset. I you know, you get you get content to make fun of him, and you get a clean house.
Right.
So's someone in powerwasher windows?
I'm in now. My kids are like ya on it.
If I'm not home, my older daughter will be like, mo, my god, Dad, you know cleaning a gutter for you? I got to send it to you. I'm like, oh, yeah, send me that fantastic. I'm glad I didn't miss it.
Love it. They know, they know.
So what's your current favorite product that you're using, whether it's skincare or I don't know, food related or anything cooking related. Do you have a current phase? I noticed you're using a water bottle that's not a Stanley?
Is this listen? I was?
Is this your new favorite?
Definably one of the first to love a Stanley? But I did hear, ladies that the straw, like the constant straw, is going to give us like.
Sprinkles on our lips.
And no, yeah, but that's but that's like you have Do you know how much you have to suck on a straw or smoke cigarette, Like, you gotta be doing that a lot to I mean, I drink if your skin is prone to that.
I drink a lot of water too. Now I'm concerned about my lippering.
I only drink when there's a straw like that for some reason for me, like that's my.
Little like I drink Stanley.
I don't like gulping it. Apparently I drink very loudly. My husband made be ware of that. Really. I was like, He's like, are you can? And I was like, I'm just drinking. He was like, problem, like really loudly.
Yeah. I would see Michael the Jody, Oh, Jody and I are going to have all the lip wrinkles in our in our Girl Talk reunion in twenty years, Marla's gonna.
Have still a nice Sorry, I'll blame. I'll just be like, that's Gia started me smoking, and now I have these.
It's always going to come down to being my fall guys. That's just the beat of existence.
Always, it's always Gia's fault.
Yeah, when all those fellas.
So what what are you drinking? What do you drink out? Is this glass?
Is this cut which it's a little old.
I broke one of those. Recently, you broke it on set, dropped it. I had like a I called it my emotional support water bottle was glass that had a little rubber thing around it, and as I was carrying too many things, I dropped it and.
Just glassed that would be back.
And everyone was like Jode egg, but I was like, well.
I love it.
The only my only note for it is that you don't get it doesn't stay as cold as the Stanley, like I really like A.
Oh I don't I want to rheumatize.
It's perfect for you if you're if you when you're ready to give up the lip wrinkles, you just text me and I'll send you. Wow.
Wow, thanks Gia, you realize what you're doing.
Wow. The barbs are still being through still thirty six years later.
There did your kids? Did your kids watch Full House? Like did have? They watched you as Gia on the showy.
They started with Fuller House just because they were coming to tapings and the set and stuff, and then and they watched Full House just to kind of catch up and see what was really happening.
Did they like it or they like my kids where they're like.
I really loved it. Yeah, did your girls like it?
Okay, good, we liked they come into tapings, but the less.
Impressed coming to craft service and to hang out with the kids. They didn't care about the shop.
I don't care about the storylines.
They're like, no, this is yeah, I don't care about this.
Well, my kids just like to make fun of me, like, well I was Kimmy Gibbler, so maybe that was unique to me. But they just love to make fun of what I'm wearing right firstyles, Yeah, you know, constant teasing.
We've been ridiculed by our own girl talk creations. You know, yes, it's true. Oh, guys, maybe they should also all of our all of our girls should start a band like yeah, yeah, girl talk to there we go. Girls still talking or something?
Girls still talking, girls texting. It will be something, right, girls talk in their lives.
No, yeah, girls, facetiming is what it would be great.
Literally, Well, this has been so great, Marla. I'm so appreciative guys spending time with us.
Oh yeah, absolutely, And you know, as we get to the later seasons, I'm sure we will have even more questions and be like, wait, we need to ask Marla to clarify. Yeah, because we haven't even gotten to the g episodes yet, so like, yeah, no's we're on season two.
Oh my gosh, yeah, it'll take you some time. I love that you guys are doing this. Back on it anytime.
So fun.
Oh yay, so great. I'm so honest that you asked me to be honest. So thank you.
Oh you are a big part of the full house fuller House family, so we love you. And uh, here's the more, here's the more, rocking out to green Day in addressing room.
Hell, I'm going to listen to Doochie right now just to pet back in.
Yes, so by why bye?
So great.
That was such a fun interview. I love Marion, She's she's so fun. Thank you all for listening to our girl talk fun intended. Uh and if you want to listen more, make sure you are liking and subscribing the podcast wherever you're listening to it so you can make sure and get all those new episodes right when they drop. And you can follow us at how Rude podcast on Instagram or you can send us any emails, questions, all kinds of fun stuff at how Rude podcast at gmail dot com. We look forward to hearing from you guys, and we are absolutely loving doing this podcast and we hope that you Fana Rito's out there are enjoying it too, So we will see you next week. And remember the houses. No, the world is small, but the house is full.
It's my favorite part of every day.
You just get ahead of watching.
You try to screw this up.
But I don't watching. We try to not screw it up. Yes, yeah, there we go.
