On the Set of Grandfathered Talking with the Cast + Watch the Newest Episode on Fox Tonight

I was invited on an all expenses paid trip to LA to interview the cast of Grandfathered.  All opinions are my own.

When I was in LA last November, I had the chance to visit the set of Grandfathered, a new show that airs on Fox Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM ET/PT.  It is about a Bachelor who finds out he not only has a son but he is also a Grandfather. I really like this show, I think it is really funny with a great premise, and a fantastic cast.

Along with seeing some of the set (pictures below), I had the chance to interview most of the cast. It was an incredible experience and so amazing to meet John Stamos, who I of course grew up watching on Full House. It was also so cool to get to meet Paget Brewster, I am a big fan of hers and loved her in Criminal Minds.

Let me start by saying, all the cast that we interviewed are fantastic.  They were so kind and genuinely nice during the interviews. As well as funny and very fun to talk to. It really felt like we were sitting together as friends chatting.  Of course it was surreal to be able to chat like that with really amazing talent.

We interviewed the cast in 3 different groups with 2 cast members being interviewed in each group.

Our interviews took place on the set, in Jimmy’s Restaurant. Before the interviews started, John Stamos got behind the bar and showed off his bar tending skills for us.  He was flipping bottles, and pretending to make cocktails.  I have to say he was pretty good at it!  It was so cool, he is so cool and it was fun to chat with him before the interviews started.

We talked with John Stamos who is a producer of the show and plays Jimmy, a Bachelor who just found out he is a dad, as well as a grandfather.  Along with Paget Brewster who plays Sarah, who is Jimmy’s ex and the mother of Jimmy’s son.

John shared “The most interesting character to me is the woman that I got pregnant (Sarah who is played by Paget).  “Here’s a woman on television, who’s single, in her mid-forties, and she’s not afraid to say it.  Not afraid to call herself a grandmother. I think women across the United States are really loving this, and the best actress we could ever find to do it is this one. Seriously.” He said pointing to Paget. Then speaking about his character on the show, he said, “it plays great against me because I’m like, I don’t wanna be called grandpa.  Call me anything but grandpa.  And I don’t wanna be my age.”

Initially Paget didn’t think she was going to get the role. “Assuming the worst about Hollywood, I auditioned thinking, “I’m not gonna get this.  They’re gonna hire a thirty-two year old blonde chick and pretend she’s in her mid-forties.  Like that’s TV in Hollywood.  And then came and auditioned with him [she points to John] and had a blast.  It was like, oh I wish this would work out.  It’d be great.” said Paget.

Then of course it did work out and she got the role. “I was ecstatic. I don’t have kids. I didn’t get the chance or I would have done it with the wrong person. So I love playing the grandmother. I’m not in a rocking chair.  Which I would do that, too.  That sounds like fun.  But it was so well written, and a real woman, a whole adult woman with a point of view” said Paget.

Then John shared with us one of the main themes he felt was important to have in this show. “Another thing about this character that helps me and that also sends a good message, is like, hey, you old guy, stop chasing these young, girls, whatever.  It’s like, get over that.  Especially in this case and it probably happens in a lot of people’s lives.  It’s like maybe the one is right in front of your face but you have to compromise a little bit.  Maybe it’s not twenty-five, or whatever the hell that thing is about, but what you get in return is, this is like a real woman, who’s smart, who’s beautiful, who’s funny, we have a lot in common in this particular case.”

John brought up Full House, which was super cool, and the similarities between the two shows.  “Full House was, I think, one of the early unconventional family shows.  Single parent family, you know, raising three kids.  Three men in San Francisco.  Straight men – raising three kids.  But that’s thirty years ago.  And every year there’s more divorce.  More single parents.  So that is, I think, part of the staying power of that show.  And this is an unconventional family show [Grandfathered].  We’re all like all over the place, and not married.  But we’re learning to be a family.”

Paget added “Yeah, and we’re a whole family.  But all of us are single.”

When asked about having twin girls on the set (they play the granddaughter, Edie), John said “Joshua and I took them to Disneyland last week.” Then he showed us a couple adorable pictures from their day together at Disneyland. He continued, “We all have tried to make this a happy environment for them. We always do the ABCs and counting.  We don’t judge.  Like I think some of that can happen.  Especially with the twins.  Like, okay, you’re crying.  We gotta bring your sister.  We don’t allow any of that.”  Then Paget added, “We were all learning. This is the first time Layla and Emelia have worked in this thing, and it was like, oh, she’s crying, so let’s get the other.  That’s sending a bad message to the kids.  So what we’re gonna do is, Emelia’s gonna star in this episode, and then Layla’s gonna do this episode.  And it’s only if one of them is taking a nap.  It’s never you’re behaving badly, we’re gonna get the other sister.  That’s gone.”

I loved hearing that, and I could definitely tell how much they both care for the twin girls and enjoy having them in their lives, which is so sweet.

Next up, we sat down with Josh Peck who plays Gerald (Jimmy’s son), and Christina Milian who plays Vanessa (Gerald’s friend and the mother of Gerald’s daughter Edie).

Josh shared how it is working with this cast, “I think we’re just so incredibly lucky to have brought this group of people together and that we all like each other so much. There’s sort of this mutual respect and we’ve all gotten to see each other’s characters really grow. One of my favorite things is coming up with different lines for other people and to see their take on it, the way Christina approaches a joke, or John approaches a joke, there’s like these great flavors on the show and it makes it very cool to be a part of.” said Josh.

Christina adds, “Yeah I feel like, outside of being our characters, we’re all rooting for each other.  So it’s fun because I feel like when we’re watching a scene or we’re watching the show, we’re admiring each other’s acting and being like, oh my goodness, she did that so well. The chemistry for on television just become like quite a little team all of us.  We’ve actually become like a real odd family.”

As Josh laughed he said, “Heavy on the odd.  No, but it’s true too because we all come from totally different worlds and we’re not alike. No one is threatened by anyone, we can all be sort of proud of each other which is great.”

Christina shared what she likes most about her character Vanessa. “There are so many things. She’s feisty, I think she’s like super quirky. She’s a free spirit. She’s not looking to fit in and she says what she wants to say, whatever is on her mind.  And you’ll get to see this as it progresses. This is a real girl, you know, she’s a real girl, so her hair a little messy, it’s not all giant lashes and all this stuff and that’s what I love. There’s a girl that’s watching this show that relates to it and she’s like oh my gosh that’s so me.” said Christina

Josh also told us what he likes most about his character, “I think in many ways I really respect that Gerald is so comfortable with who he is. And the fact that he doesn’t make any apologies for being a little what we can consider odd or eccentric at times. He’s ultra-smart and he’s totally secure in who he is. He’s a really bigger picture guy and he’s not really about the small talk impressing people. I’d love to have a little bit more of Gerald’s sort of confidence and his fashion sense. But sometimes the shoes he wears are rough, like I call them birth control.” said Josh.

They were both so nice and I enjoyed my time talking with them.

Then we got to chat with Kelly Jenrette who plays Annelise, Jimmy’s Assistant Manager, and Ravi Patel who plays Jimmy’s Restaurant’s Chef.

Talking with them both, they have such a fun dynamic of teasing and joking with each other.  Ravi told us about the fun he and Kelly have on set, “It’s kinda constantly just, pranks and stuff, and us messing with each other.  And she has to walk in and out.  I’m, like, trying to get in her way. I am basically trying to mess the others up…we mess each other up at our jobs.” said Ravi.

“No, I never do that to you” Kelly said sarcastically.

Ravi chimes in “Oh, come on!  And then, the one time where I had to go, I had walked away and she’s, like, Come here!  Right now!  Don’t go! Don’t walk away!”

“And he missed his cue.” Kelly said as they laughed.

Speaking of working on set, Ravi said “It’s very warm, we’re all, I feel like, pretty close. Even with the crew.  Everyone’s really genuinely good people.  Fun to be around.  We’re joking around between takes.  And I think it tends to, it goes into the scenes.”

Speaking of her favorite episode, Kelly said, “We learn that my character wanted to be a soul singer.  But she says that she grew up and got a real job.  And she sings in the episode.  It is not good singing. At all.  But, I do sing.  And so it was challenging to sing as badly as I was supposed to be. It’s supposed to be really bad. I do not disappoint.  At being bad.  I remember rehearsing over the weekend, and my fiancé was like, ‘hey, that doesn’t sound bad’.  And I was like, ‘it does! It’s horrible!’  And when I got here, Chris was like, ‘I need it to be worse than that’.  And I was like, ‘oh my god’.”

Ravi then said, “I just watched it. I think it’s really good. I thought it was really funny. I feel like each episode is getting better and better. I think the writing is so good. I feel like every episode is so much better.”

Kelly added, “Yeah.  It’s getting better and better.”

Ravi also shared with us his new bars that were created for a great cause. He said, “This Bar Saves Lives. This is a company I started with a bunch of other actors; Ryan Devlin, Todd Grinnell, Kristen Bell. and For every bar that we sell we donate a lifesaving meal packet to a child in need. The kids are days away from dying of hunger.  And they take this meal packet that we donate.”

You can learn more about This Bar Saves Lives by visiting ThisBarSavesLives.com.

Afterwards the cast was so kind to get a group photo with all of the bloggers.

Then we had the chance to check out part of the set from the show. Jimmy’s Restaurant and Sarah’s House.

A new episode airs on Fox tonight at 8:30 PM ET/PT so be sure to tune in or set your DVR.

“JIMMY IS TRICKED INTO GOING TO THE DOCTOR ON AN ALL-NEW “GRANDFATHERED”
TUESDAY, January 5, ON FOX”

It looks like a funny one, I am very much looking forward to seeing it tonight on Fox!