John Stamos admitted he didn’t know what a “street kid” was when he auditioned for General Hospital during an interview on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.
The 60-year-old actor, who played Blackie Parrish on the soap from 1982 to 1984, revealed he had to go to the library to look it up.
John was on the NBC talk show to promote his newly released memoir, “If You Would Have Tell Me.”
When he arrived, he ran out and high-fived some audience members and then talked about how he prepared for his audition on General Hospital. John said they told him they wanted a “street kid” from New York.
“I’ve never been to New York,” said the California native. “I didn’t know what a street urchin was.”
New memoir: John Stamos admitted he didn’t know what a “street kid” was when he auditioned for “General Hospital” in an interview on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Tuesday
John said he went to the library to look up what a street urchin was and then set about designing a “walk” for his character, Blackie. He said he drove through Hollywood, then decided Santa Monica Boulevard looked like New York and got out wearing his mother’s leather jacket and his feathered hair.
Then the actor came on the show and showed Jimmy his walk, which he said he modeled after John Travolta.
“And that’s what got you the role?” asked Jimmy, who was accused in an article last month of creating a “toxic work environment.”
“No, they said to stop moving so much and just concentrate on the lines,” John joked.
Jimmy asked how he got from General Hospital to playing with the Beach Boys.
John said his friend was in the band and told him to meet them before the encore when they were playing at a baseball stadium in San Diego.
“I went down to the field and I was at General Hospital and I heard all this screaming and I thought, ‘What is that?'” John said. “They say, ‘Oh, this is for me!’ And all these cheerleaders started chasing me around the diamond. “I run the bases like an idiot.”
“They ran after you?” Jimmy asked.
Soap star: The 60-year-old actor played Blackie Parrish on the series “General Hospital” from 1982 to 1984.
Fan Favorite: John ran out and gave some audience members a high-five as he arrived, then talked about how he prepared for his audition on General Hospital
The host: “And that got you the role?” asked Jimmy, who was accused in an article last month of creating a “toxic work environment.”
New book: John was on the NBC talk show to promote his newly released memoir, “If You Would Have Tell Me.”
‘Yes! And they caught me because I wasn’t a very good runner,” John said. “And skinny legs, those Jordache jeans, feathered hair.” I look like I have a dead crow on my head and I run and look up, I’m on a Jumbotron. Then there was backstage and then I ran in and they slammed the door and these girls were screaming at me. And all the Beach Boys turned around and looked at me like, “Who is this crazy guy?”
John said Mike Love asked if the girls screamed for him like that all the time, and after finding out, he ordered John on stage.
“I played Barbara Ann and it was beautiful,” John said.
John said writing his memoir was initially the last thing on his mind, but his life changed when he became a father at 55 and his “Full House” co-star Bob Saget suddenly died in 2022 Died of head trauma at the age of 65.
“I decided to write the two most difficult chapters,” John said. “The first chapter was terrible.” My lowest point was drunk driving and my five stages of grief there were sex, drugs, alcohol. And then I wrote the second hardest chapter, which I thought was the Bob Saget chapter, and up until then my five stages of grief were health, therapy, and family, and I was trying to figure out how to get there, but it was a good way. ‘
John said writing the book helped him cope. He revealed that in the book he also shared other stories that he wanted to make accessible to people, such as how he was bullied as a child.
Life changed: John said initially writing a memoir was the last thing on his mind, but his life changed when he became a father at 55 and his Full House co-star became a father Bob Saget died suddenly in 2022 at the age of 65 from head trauma
John also remembered his last dinner with Bob before his death. He said he had no idea that would be the last time he would see his friend.
“We looked at each other and what did we do to get these beautiful women and it was just a beautiful night and you know, you’re always in a hurry in life, right?” said John. “You know, I have to do this, I have to do that.” We stayed, and when something like that happens you kind of want to remember everything. What did we eat? What did we do? And we ordered cake and drank coffee and stayed later than we normally would have, you know? And so when you have the opportunity, when you’re with someone you love, someone you care about, stay a little longer, eat the cake, have a coffee.”
“It was a beautiful night, and you know, it’s hard without him,” John said, his voice cracking with emotion.
John and actress Caitlin McHugh, 37, have been married since 2018 and have a five-year-old son together.