The 20-years-later update of TGIF classic Full House titled Fuller House drops February 26 with 13 episodes premiering exclusively on Netflix, and [almost] the entire gang from the original show is back. Original “grown ups” John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, and Lori Loughlin are around to get the ball rolling and then the rulers of that familiar [and full] house are other veterans from the original show: Candace Cameron Bure’s D.J. Tanner, now D.J. Tanner-Fuller, now a widow with three children; free spirit Stephanie, with Jodie Sweetin reprising her role; and then a third factor: the unbreakable Kimmy Gibbler, also now a mom, played by Andrea Barber.
Following the Fuller House panel at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, California this weekend, we caught up with Andrea Barber herself to find out a little bit about what we can expect from he return of her iconic character in the year 2016…. including Kimmy’s very unique sense of style.
“It was fantastic,” she says about putting on the clothes of Kimmy once again. “I was a little nervous walking into the first fitting, because I didn’t know what our costume designer had in mind, but I think she nailed it. It’s great. Fantastic accessories that are being talked about all over social media, with the bacon and eggs scarf, the donut purse… people are commenting: They want to know — where did we buy a donut purse? [It] is a Betsy Johnson purse, and Betsy Johnson has now commented on Fuller House’s Facebook page and said ‘thank you Kimmy Gibbler for buying our donut purse!’ So I think it’s fantastic. I love her eccentric style. It’s not my every day style; I dress a lot more conservatively in my real life, so it’s fun to have that creative outlet on stage.”
“I think the present-day Kimmy Gibbler can absolutely hold her own, and I think people embrace her awkwardness, her uniqueness, her quirkiness, and she’s matured, now,” Barber says about Kimmy’s evolution to the present day. “She is a business owner, she’s a party planner… she takes it very seriously, and she takes being a mom very seriously, too. They might poke fun at her wardrobe now and then; Stephanie and Kimmy also have a little rapport that we have always enjoyed. Jodie and I love acting our scenes together and throwing our barbs at each other. I really love the direction that Kimmy Gibbler has been taken in, and I’m excited to see where else she will go, if this show continues on.”
In the intervening years since Full House ended, Kimmy has — spoiler alert! — found love in Fernando, played by Dallas’ Juan Pablo Di Pace. Even though Fernando worships the ground that Kimmy walks on, he also has trouble sticking to just one woman, so the two have split. You’ll still see him in Fuller House, though. “Would you have ever expected Kimmy Gibbler to land such a hot man?” she enthuses. “That was certainly a twist. I didn’t expect that! But I’m super excited about it, of course. Juan Pablo Di Pace, who plays Fernando… he is outstanding, and I think our chemistry is great together. He is just a hysterical person. Kimmy and Fernando play really well off of each other, and I’m excited for the audience to see where that goes.”
The marriage between Kimmy and Fernando also gave Kimmy one of the best things — a daughter, Ramona, played by Soni Nicole Bringas. Kimmy’s parenting style, however, may conflict with D.J.’s style, as she parents Ramona much differently than how D.J. will oversee her children — especially the oldest, Jackson, who is Ramona’s age.
“They’re very different. As we are different characters, we are also different moms,” she laughs. “Kimmy is very loyal to her daughter, and she wants to be a good mom, but she wants to be loved by her daughter. She wants to be the friend mom. So, she might not always be as strict as D.J.; she might be a little more lenient in some of the parenting areas…. so there might be some tension there, but most of all, she just wants to love her daughter, and she wants to be loved by her daughter, and wants her daughter to be happy.”
In the years after Full House, Andrea went to college, got a Master’s degree, worked in international education, and was a stay-at-home mom with two children. What do those kids think of Kimmy?
“I have two kids — an 11 year old boy, and an 8 year old girl — and they are equal parts mortified and impressed by Kimmy Gibbler,” Barber admits. “They’re always embarrassed by the clothes that I’m wearing, but they’re proud of their mom. They came to three tapings of the new show, and they’re just super excited. They’re super excited to see me go back to work, to be on stage, and they tell all their classmates, too! They’re like ‘this is my Mom; she’s gonna be on a TV show!’ It’s fantastic.”
“My son is going to be entering Junior High in the Fall, and he said ‘Mom, you have to get a second season of Fuller House because I want to be the coolest kid in Junior High’,” she laughs. “It’s very sweet and endearing.”
“Kimmy Gibbler has followed me around my entire life,” she says. “There will be people who walk by me and say, ‘Kimmy! Don’t take off your shoes!’ But I welcome it. I’ve always embraced this character; I have such great memories of playing Kimmy Gibbler with this cast – largely because of the chemistry and the bond that I share with the cast.”
Look for Fuller House to premiere on Netflix on February 26.
