Friday, March 29, 2024

Candace Cameron Bure Talks Murder Mysteries, Filming During Covid-19 and Why Full House Still Feels Like Family

When Candace Cameron Bure wants to describe the overriding theme throughout her 34-year history as an actress, it would be ‘family friendly.’ Her first gig as D.J. Tanner in the universally famous TV series Full House has dovetailed into numerous roles, including as a host of The View, a producer and an author. One of her latest projects arrives in New Zealand on Acorn TV and it fits the bill perfectly. Candace, 44, plays Aurora Teagarden is a series of TV movies about a librarian turned amateur detective who goes around solving crimes. She talks to Capsule about filming during Covid-19, why picking family-suitable projects is so important to her and why Full House is such an enduring part of her life.

The first six of the Aurora Teagarden movies are about to come out in New Zealand – how would you describe Aurora and what drew you to her as a character?
I love her because she’s fearless – she’s a librarian by trade and a president of a true-crime club called Real Murders Club, where they try and solve unsolved mysteries. She has a mind for mystery and murder; she’s always a step ahead of everyone and even though physically she’s a small woman, she’s so courageous and not afraid to get her hands dirty – whether it’s scaling walks or digging through first. She’s a fun character to play.

redit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: David Dolsen

The books the series are based on were written by Charlaine Harris, who wrote True Blood – a veeery different vibe to Aurora Teagarden. But unlike that series, this one isn’t scary at all?
That’s why I love it because all of these mysteries are family friendly – you don’t have to worry about your kids watching them. Of course, there is a murder in it but you never see anything gruesome, it’s just a mystery and you have to use your brain to figure it out.

You’re in Canada filming back to back productions – how is it being back on set during Covid-19?
It’s really great actually – we have a lot of new protocols we have to adhere to but everyone from cast to crew is doing really well – taking the time they need to be as cautious as possible. But it’s running very smoothly and I was pleasantly surprised! I’m just wrapping up the 14th Aurora Teagarden film and then I start shooting a Christmas movie for Hallmark called If I Only Had Christmas, so quite different from filming a mystery.

On your Instagram, you describe the many hats you wear both personally and professionally and one of those hats, as you say, is ‘Queen of Christmas’. That’s a great hat to wear!
I love it – this will be my 9th Hallmark Christmas movie, I’ve actually done more than nine Christmas movies in total. I love them, I adore them – and the people that watch the love them so much, which makes me love them even more!

It’s a good idea to make family friendly content – particularly now, when so many people are with their families 24/7 during the pandemic.
It’s been a very intentional choice in my career – everything I do is for families. When I was younger, we always watched television as a family… I think it’s just such a special time. Whether you’re cooking together and then eating together, then watching a movie or television together. Even though you might not be talking to each other, you’re still connecting with your children, your parents, your grandparents. When everyone can laugh together, or even cry together, and then talk about it afterwards.

You were with your family during lockdown – how was that? And what did you all watch together?
It was such a special time to be home with my family – they’re all adults now, 18, 20 and 22. It was a really wonderful time that we would never have had without [the pandemic]. My husband is a retired professional athlete and my two boys are really into sports, so usually sports is on our television non-stop. But because all of the sports have been shut down… my family were not happy [laughs]. So we watched sports documentary series like The Last Dance with Michael Jordan and the Formula One show on Netflix [Drive to Survive]. I have to tell you – I really enjoyed them, even though I’m not really interested in basketball or Formula One!

The final season of Fuller House wrapped up during lockdown as well – it must have been bittersweet to have had to say goodbye without being able to see all your cast mates.
It was very bittersweet… Fuller House means so much to me – the joint series have been such a massive part of my life and they mean the world to me. I am indebted to the Tanner family and D.J. Tanner as if they were my own families. It was a little hard not to be able to be together when it finally premiered and then not to be together when the show was screening, which we’ve done every season – the whole cast has come over to my house and watch it together and live stream it to the fans. We couldn’t do any of that this year. But I’m just so appreciate of the work and the friendships that we’ve made from all working on the show. That’s always been the biggest takeaway for me.

What are your strongest memories from the very start of the Full House journey?
I think I remember more about the start of the journey than I do from the first, second or third season, because by then it was daily. I could tell you everything from that first audition and shooting the pilot. Meeting Bob Saget for the first time, who was playing my dad. He was so warm and friendly and caring – it was such a good starting point cos he was like, ‘Hi, I’m playing your dad and I want you to feel comfortable cos we’re going to be hanging out a lot.!’ He was just wonderful because, when you’re a 10 year old and you’re looking up at a 6’4’ man that you don’t know and it’s like, ‘I have to pretend that you’re my dad!’ But Bob could not have been sweeter or kinder and we hit it off from day one. He’s one of my closest and dearest friends to this day.

Aurora Teagarden starts screening on Acorn TV from August 17th, click here for more information

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