Hangin' With Jodie Sweetin

Emily Guzman of Gary, Ind., wants to know what she's like in real life. Lita Minez of Miami wants to know what working on Full House is really like. Amanda Batelle of Dallas wants to know if she hates the Olsen twins because "they get all the attention and get to make albums and stuff and you don't." (Geez, Amanda.)

Alana Wall of Glenarden, Md., thinks she and Jodie have sooo much in common that they ought to be pen pals. Jessica Myers of Lucedale, Miss., has always wanted to go to the mall with her. Laura Warichak of Waukesha, Wis., thinks Jodie must be pretty close to what Stephanie is like because "it never seems like acting." And Sarah Kuhns of Blue Bell, Pa., wants to know what grade Jodie is in this year.

Your wish is our command.

Girls' Life: No offense, but if Stephanie gets any sweeter this season, we're going to need to rinse with fluoride after each show.

Jodie Sweetin: I know. Stephanie has been awfully, well, good up `til now. But she's going to definitely change this year. She's going to be a lot more rebellious. She has a new friend who encourages her.

GL: What's going to happen to her? Busted for jaywalking?

Jodie: She doesn't get too bad. She just tests the waters with guys, clothes and stuff. Danny freaks out a little.

GL: No doubt, but that seems pretty true to life for a lot of girls Stephanie's age.

Jodie: Yeah, it is more real, which is good. But she'll still be a good kid, just with an edge.

GL: Does that mean Stephanie will actually get to do something other than hear about DJ's adventures or play with Michelle?

Jodie: Stephanie is a major middle child. She always just seems to get a little lost. But she'll really come into her own this year. We'll see her going to parties, being with new friends and handling different situations.

GL: So, do you plan to rebel in real life this year, too?

Jodie: Ha! No. I'm not allowed to go on dates, and I like pretty basic clothes. So I don't know what I could really do to bug my parents that bad.

GL: I'm sure a lot of girls reading this could help you with that, but...do you get along with your own family as well as with the Tanners?

Jodie: It's a real switch when I go home because I'm an only child. I get all the attention. All I have to deal with is my parents. And that's OK. It's fun to switch between my big TV family and my real one. I like having my sisters on the show, especially Mary Kate and Ashley.

GL: Does it ever bug you that they seem to be the center of the show, and have ended up with albums and videos?

Jodie: No, really, I swear it doesn't. I'm happy they are doing so well. Everybody is really supportive of what they do.

GL: Boy, they must have been mad when the new twin boys came on the show. That sort of bumps them one down on the cute meter.

Jodie: [Laughs.] Yeah, don't ask me why, but the show wanted to keep the baby thing going.

GL: Do you get along as well off screen with everyone in your TV family?

Jodie: Everyone is really sweet. Bob Saget, who plays my dad, is so nice to all of us. I hang out with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and we go out to eat. But the whole cast has fun together. One time we all went to a Janet Jackson concert, but mostly we just laugh on the set. When we aren't taping, everybody lounges in the dressing rooms together and we listen to Stone Temple Pilots or Collective Soul or whatever other cool CD somebody has.

GL: What are your real-life friends like?

Jodie: I've had the same friends since I was in fourth grade. They just treat me like Jodie, but they also really support me being on the show. We do lots of fun stuff like go Rollerblading, biking, riding. We read and dance around the house. Pretty normal.

GL: Do they ever get jealous?

Jodie: Um. To be honest, it has happened. Some people I used to hang out with started ignoring me. They thought I was being a snob, even when I wasn't. But there's not much I can do about it. I just have to move on and find new friends. I figure if they act like that, they aren't real friends. So forget them.

GL: What else worries you?

Jodie: Teachers. I always want to get the really good teachers and sometimes that doesn't happen. School...my friends.

GL: You're in eighth grade this year, top of the pack. Are you psyched?

Jodie: Totally! I've waited two years to be able to lead the school, so I really want to make the most of it.

GL: How do the new kids at school usually treat you?

Jodie: Either they are really nice to me because they want to be my friend, or they are really mean to me. They want to prove that I'm not anything special just because I have a TV show.

GL: So what's your day like?

Jodie: I work eight months out of the year. In the summer, I don't come in until 1 p.m., then we rehearse in the afternoons. The rest of the time, it's pretty crazy. Monday, I go to school all day. On Tuesday and Wednesday I go to my regular school in the mornings and then to the studio at about 1 p.m.. We do a run- through [a practice], and then I go home and do my homework. On Thursday, I do school stuff on the set from about 10:30 a.m until about 1 p.m., then do a reading of the script for the next week. Then we tape the scenes with Blake and Dylan, the two babies. On Friday, I come in at about 11:30 a.m. and do school until 3 p.m.. That's when we do a run- through of the scenes really quick and then do the whole show. We go to lunch, and when we come back, we get ready to do the audience taping.

GL: Do you ever wish you were just a normal girl?

Jodie: No way. I love what I do. This has been my whole life. I've done this since I was like 4.

GL: What do you want to do next?

Jodie: Well, I just want to keep doing Full House, but I would also love to do musical theater. Every time my parents and I go to a show, I leave thinking how much I want to do something like that. I'm taking voice lessons right now.

GL: If you didn't do acting, what else would you do?

Jodie: Right now, I'm really interested in being a pediatrician or doing something with marine biology. But even if I'm not acting, I might want to go into producing or directing.

GL: You have tons of fans. That must feel pretty good.

Jodie: That's the best part of all, really. When I do public appearances, I love to meet everybody. I wish I had the time to be everybody's pen pal because I really appreciate the fans. But life gets so busy.

GL: So let's say you have a whole day to do whatever you want-no work, no family stuff.

Jodie: I'd go to Disneyland with a bunch of my friends.

GL: What's the most bizarre thing a fan ever asked you?

Jodie: Whether I prefer hamburgers or pizza.

GL: Well?

Jodie: Well, what?

GL: Burgers or pizza?

Jodie: Oh. Burgers. Definitely burgers.