Candace Cameron Bure Recalls Her 'Full House' Audition and Growing Up on TV

Candace Cameron Bure’s after-school activities at age 10 were a lot different than most fourth graders, which included winning over a full house of producers and writers to land the role of D.J. Tanner on Full House.

By the time America met the actress' most recognized character in 1987, Bure was practically an old pro. She'd appeared in commercials since age 5 for iconic 1980s brands like Cabbage Patch Kids and Care Bears as well as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and others.

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TV audiences also knew her real-life big brother Kirk Cameron, who was 16 at the time of Candace’s debut as D.J. He'd become a teen heartthrob portraying Mike Seaver on ABC’s Growing Pains. While the siblings’ parents were not in the entertainment business, the option to act was like “an extracurricular activity” for them and their peers growing up in L.A., Bure says.

“Kirk had been on Growing Pains for two years before I booked Full House, and my sisters and I would go to the set and tapings on Tuesday or Friday nights. I loved being in that world and on the sound stage and watching the performances,” Bure tells Parade. “My mom [Barbara] and dad [Robert] were not entertainment people and had no understanding of it in the very beginning. But we lived in L.A., so acting was like an extracurricular activity. You could go play soccer, you could sign up for tap or ballet, or you could try auditioning for commercials. That's kind of how the business was. So we really fell into it. And my mom became my manager.”

Related: Get a Sneak Peek of Great American Family's, A Christmas Less Traveled Starring Candace Cameron Bure and Eric Johnson

Bure tells Parade in a recent exclusive that she recalls there being at least two auditions for the Full House gig, perhaps three. It was a bit overwhelming for the youngster, even with her previous experience on commercial and TV show sets. Still, she made an impression right away.

“I remember auditioning for the casting director. She told me right in the room, ‘We’re going to bring you back.’ That was so exciting,” Bure says. “And then I remember going in for that next audition, which had all the producers, the creator of the show, and some of the writers. So it felt very big as a 10-year-old to meet all of these strange faces. I did my best, and that was it. The creator, Jeff Franklin, has since said to me, ‘Oh, we knew the second that you walked out of the room.’”

Related: Fans Are 'Literally Screaming Inside' Over Candace Cameron Bure's 'Special' New Photos

The highly-rated and fan-favorite Full House original episodes aired through 1995 and centered on the premise of three men raising three precocious girls: older sis D.J., middle sister Stephanie Judith (Jodie Sweetin) and the youngest, Michelle Elizabeth (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen). The father figures were the girls’ dad, Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), maternal uncle Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), and Danny’s childhood best friend and roommate following his wife’s passing, Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier). More fans discovered the show through reruns, which aired into the early aughts. Then the cast reunited for Fuller House on Netflix from 2016-20 (sans the Olsens, both of whom stepped away from acting years ago to focus on their fashion and entertainment businesses).

“It truly was a wonderful environment because I loved everyone that I worked with. I had the most incredible experience growing up on television,” Bure says. “I absolutely loved it, especially in light of stories that have come out more recently. There are a handful of child stars or young entertainers who didn't get through the business successfully with their emotional health and have really awful predator experiences. So when I look back on it, I’m grateful. Then I had the gift of Fuller House and worked with my best friends again.”

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Bure also put acting on pause for a decade to focus on raising her kids with her husband and retired NHL star Valeri Bure (Coulier set them up). She returned to acting with 2008’s Moonlight & Mistletoe on the Hallmark Channel, which marked the beginning of her becoming a Christmas movie mainstay. While her kids are grown, only one, daughter Natasha, 26, has chosen acting. Sons Lev, 24, and Maksim, 22, both work in the wine industry, with the elder managing Bure Family Wines, the family’s brand, and the younger working with another company.

Look for Bure on the Great American Family channel this holiday season in two new Christmas movies: A Christmas Less Traveled, which premieres Nov. 16, and Home Sweet Christmas, which premieres Dec. 1

Next, Get the Scoop on Candace Cameron Bure's New Mystery Series on Great American Family