Arguably best known for attempting to find “the truth” about what may or may not be out there in The X-Files, David Duchovny first made TV waves as Twin Peaks’ trans DEA agent and as the narrator on Showtime’s erotic romance Red Shoe Diaries. But it turns out audiences could have first seen a far more family-friendly and wholesome turn from the actor in the beloved TGIF sitcom Full House.
As amusing as it would be to think about David Duchovny vying for the role of Comet or Kimmy Gibbler, he was obviously aiming to be one of the best TGIF characters of all time by landing one of the lead roles. And what may surprise fans is that he wasn’t going for one in particular, but was brought in for all three of the central adult trio. Have mercy indeed.
Speaking on his podcast Fail Better opposite guest and SNL vet Fred Armisen, Duchovny revealed how involved he was in the Full House casting process, saying:
I auditioned for all three parts on Full House. At first, they had me for, I think, the dad. And then they had me for the Stamos character. And then they had me for the other guy. I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to get one of these, and it’s going to change my life.'
As someone who’s seen every Full House episode more than once — not exactly my biggest badge of courage or pride — I can’t imagine how such a youthful David Duchovny came across while auditioning for the squeaky clean role of Danny Tanner. Or as the rock ‘n’ roll biker uncle Jesse Katsopolis, or as the slapstick stand-up comic Joey Gladstone.
Duchovny spoke to the idea that his Full House auditions, like his attempts to land “plenty” of other pilots during his first years in Los Angeles, were optimistically seen as being a bridge to stardom. Or, if not anything so overarchingly popular, at least a way for him to pay his bills.
The actor who went on to embody the conspiracy-embracing Fox Mulder isn’t harboring any foul feelings over not landing any of the three roles, saying that kind of acting wasn’t his strong suit at the time. As he put it:
I was really bad at that kind of stuff. I did not know how to do that sitcom stuff. I don’t know what they were thinking, that they thought I was going to exist in that world. I mean, I guess I could have learned, but I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t ready for that kind of, energetic performance that they need.
Even if he didn't think himself to be so impressive at the time, it's perhaps telling that Full House's casting team brought David Duchovny back to read for all three of the main roles. So he couldn't have been that bad, or else they'd have sent him packing as soon as his Danny audition was done. (Fun fact: creator Jeff Franklin revealed that Paul Reiser was his top choice to play the widower dad, with the ever-iconic Bob Saget eventually winning the role.)
The Full House Character David Duchovny Should Have Played
While I've no doubt in my mind that Duchovny could have pulled off the role of Danny Tanner in a way that stood apart from Bob Saget's OCD-leaning papa bear approach, though I'm not as convinced that he could have served as the wacky comedic force in the way that Dave Coulier did. So what does that leave us with?
That's right: Duchovny as ladies man and all-around suave mofo Uncle Jesse. Perhaps it's due in part to his Red Shoe Diaries history, but I can easily see the actor playing a rebellious lothario who comes to terms with balancing family-related responsibilities with his desires to rock out. What's more, I feel like fans would have gotten an Uncle Jesse who wasn't afraid of a little facial hair. Nothing says an all-nighter with the Rippers like chin stubble. (Granted, we may never have seen all those Beach Boys cameos, and then wouldn't have seen the throwback homages to those cameos....but that's probably fine.)
Alas, Duchovny doesn't sound too miffed about missing out on the sitcom role, and he obviously went on to enjoy a long and lucrative TV and film career in the aftermath of those non-fruitful auditions. (To the point where he's even taking partial responsibility for discovering Angelina Jolie.)
Full House can be streamed in full with a Hulu subscription or a Max subscription, while all of Fuller House is currently streaming on Netflix. For a good time, cut out a picture of David Duchovny's head and hold it over John Stamos' face during the pilot episode.
