Actor Dave Coulier Talks Faith, Alcohol Abuse, New Pure Flix Series Live+Local
- Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Jul 14, 2022
Dave Coulier, the actor behind Full House and the new Pure Flix comedy Live+Local, is opening up about this faith, his struggle with alcohol abuse and his friendship with the late actor Bob Saget.
Coulier, 62, told Faithwire that he grew up in a large Catholic family in the suburbs of Detroit and met Saget – his co-star in Full House and Fuller House – when he was only 18. Both were performing at a club. They exchanged numbers and then re-connected when Coulier moved to Los Angeles. Saget let Coulier sleep on his couch.
Coulier played Joey Gladstone in Full House and Fuller House.
“Bob and I just became instant brothers, and then art imitates life,” Coulier told Faithwire. “I end up doing Full House with Bob. And Joey moves into [Saget’s character] Danny Tanner’s living room and sleeps on his couch.”
As Coulier grew older, though, he struggled with alcohol abuse.
“I always equate my faith to a fire that’s burning inside of you, and I almost extinguished that fire because of my abuse with alcohol,” he said.
His faith, he said, helped him survive a tragic 12 months when he lost not only his friend Bob Saget but also his father and his brother.
“The only thing I could think was, ‘Thank goodness I don’t have alcohol in my life that is extinguishing that fire which is my faith,’” Coulier said. “And I was able to feel those raw emotions, which I never would have felt had I been abusing alcohol – and I was in touch with myself spiritually.”
He added, “So, for me, it was allowing that flame to ignite again and to find my spirituality, and it helped me through all of that.”
In Pure Flix’s Live+Local, Coulier plays Tommy, the host of a popular Christian radio morning program. His co-host is played by Emily Pendergast (Veep).
“It is very improvisational. It’s shot a lot like The Office,” he said.
Related:
Comedian, Full House Actor Bob Saget Dies Unexpectedly
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
