Full House child star Candace Cameron Bure, now known to fans as the Queen of Christmas, is not slowing down.
The star is popular for her roles on Full House and its Netflix spinoff Fuller House, not to mention countless Christmas movies on Hallmark Channel. Cameron Bure will leave the network in 2022 to become chief content officer of Great American Media and work on programming for the Great American Family Channel, but will still be working on two Christmas movies this year and , will produce “A Less Traveled Christmas and a Home Sweet Christmas” through its CandyRock banner.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the always prolific performer talked about what she looks for in a new holiday movie and why she’s working on a project with Cameron Matheson before finding another project with Cameron Matheson. He talked about plans for an unusual Christmas movie. Her reaction to previous interview headlines about the sequel, bonding with the Full House cast, and GAF’s priorities.
When deciding on a new Christmas project, are you looking for something that hasn’t been done yet, or is it important to know what works for your audience?
It’s a little bit of both. I read a lot of Christmas scripts throughout the year. I’m looking for something that’s new to me and that resonates with the audience. Especially on the Great American Family Channel, we believe in our movies and our channel’s tagline is “Christmas the way it was meant to be.” I’m looking for something that really resonates with me and has more purpose. It’s more than just the magic of Christmas or Santa Claus at Christmas. When I read a script, I usually know within the first 15 to 20 pages whether it’s something that grabs me or whether it’s something I’ve heard hundreds of times before.
Candace Cameron Bure (left) and Cameron Matheson from Home Sweet Christmas.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Earlier this year, you announced that you would be co-starring with Cameron Matheson in a new Christmas movie, but you’ve since said that the two of you would be working on different scripts. Do you usually have a lot of Christmas scripts ready to go?
Usually I hope that doesn’t happen, but this year it did. We had a script called Jingle Bells, Wedding Bells, and we thought it would be good for both of us. As we looked at some of the production elements, we quickly realized that this probably wasn’t going to be the best movie we could have made. I immediately pulled the plug. When I re-read Home Sweet Christmas, I thought, “Actually, this is a much better movie for the two of us to watch together,” because they play childhood friends who reunite. Cameron and I have been friends for a very long time, but we’ve never worked together, so I think it’s very similar.
Fans were excited at the prospect of you two working together. Are there any actors you would like to work with?
We’re classic actors in this genre, so Cameron is one of them. It was crazy considering the fact that we had never made a movie together. I don’t even know if we’ve repeated co-stars because I like working with new people and I like bringing fresh faces to our channel as well. But Cameron and I actually had such great chemistry that we’re actually considering making a sequel to this movie. The fans really enjoyed it.
Your interview on 2022’s “The Great American Family” spurred headlines about the channel emphasizing traditional marriage, then former “Full House” co-star Jodie Sweetin announced that her film was on the channel. I know they were unhappy about being acquired by. Have you ever found it difficult to convey what this network values if viewers aren’t familiar with the show?
It’s certainly difficult when talking to the media. We are grateful to the media for introducing people to our channel, but there is always a risk as answers may be taken out of context. That certainly happened to me when I moved on to Great American Family, and it was a really difficult time, and it was hard to be misunderstood that way. But my point is, we’re a relatively new channel. This year marks the 4th year of Christmas. Like any new business, you have a core demographic and what you’re looking for, and you create a product that best fits that demographic. Most networks don’t try to be all things to all people. What makes our channel so different from other channels is that we’re not afraid to talk about God and His hand in our lives, rather than fate or providence.
This was a divisive time for our country. Do you keep that in mind when you’re working on a film and potentially trying to unite an audience?
Yeah, that’s been the spirit of every movie I’ve produced. I create everything in that spirit because God loves us all.
Bob Saget’s death was very difficult. Have there been any discussions recently about bringing back a new version of Full House?
There’s no discussion about that. Fuller House was a huge success for Netflix, but I don’t think there will be another iteration. If they want to make it happen, I think we’ll all be on board with it. We are all still very close.
You continue to be prolific. What are your plans for next year?
I’ll probably do four or five more films in 2025. That’s what I like.
