Christine Lakin almost made it to the Tanner household.
During Friday’s episode of the “How Rude, Tanneritos!” podcast, the “Step by Step” star opened up about why her casting on “Fuller House,” a reboot of the ‘90s sitcom “Full House,” didn’t work out.
Lakin told hosts and “Fuller House” stars Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber that she was approached by the show’s creator Jeff Franklin about starring as C.J. Harbenberger, girlfriend of Steve Hale, for a four-episode stint during the show’s second season. The role would later go to Lakin’s friend, Virginia Williams.
“About two days before the table read, I got a call from my manager saying, ‘Yes, something happened. They’re pushing the table read. I think there’s some stuff with the script they want to rewrite,’ ” Lakin recalled. “The next day happened, and my manager calls and says, ‘Hey, I don’t know how to tell you this, but you’ve been let go.’ ”
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Lakin said her manager didn’t have any casting information to share on why she had been fired from the show, other than her character was being rewritten and “they’re not going to need you anymore.”
“I was like, ‘What did I do wrong?’ ” Lakin said. “I didn’t even go to a table read.”
Christine Lakin says Kirk Cameron satire may have led to ‘Fuller House’ firing
While Lakin doesn’t know the reason behind her “Fuller House” firing, she speculated that a Funny or Die parody she starred in may have influenced her termination from the show.
The 2012 clip, titled “CCOKC – Child Celebrities Opposing Kirk Cameron,” took aim at actor Kirk Cameron and his critical remarks about the LGBTQ community.
“At the time, Kirk Cameron had said some public things about the LGBTQ community, and I thought those were potentially very damaging, and I was asked to participate with a bunch of other former child actors,” Lakin said. “It was funny. It was a satire.”
Cameron is the older brother of actress Candace Cameron Bure, who starred as D.J. Tanner on “Fuller House.”
“All I can think of is that it created some bad blood. And (four) years later, my presence was not wanted,” Lakin said. “It was a bummer for me. It really was. I would have loved to have done that.”
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“I’m sure it’s everybody’s prerogative to want or not want to work with someone,” Lakin concluded. “At the same time, I feel like I have to stand up for people who maybe don’t have a platform or a voice, or at least be able to say, ‘I stand with you.’ ”
