Full House alum Candace Cameron Bure is back on the small screen! She is starring in the GMC TV original movie Finding Normal, premiering Saturday, May 18th, at 7 pm. The actress and mom-of-three plays Dr. Lisa Leland, a “self-centered and self-focused” L.A. surgeon whose life turns upside-down during a trip to her new home in New York.
Candace opens up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her three children – Natasha, almost 15, Lev, 13, and Maksim, 11, her role in Finding Normal, and the greatest lessons she learned from her work on the movie. She goes on to share that she is still “great friends” with her former Full House co-stars!
CBS: Tell us about your role in Finding Normal. What is the film all about?
CCB: “I play Dr. Lisa Leland, a self-centered and self-focused L.A. surgeon who is very driven in her work. She is driving across the country to move in with her boyfriend in the Hamptons, and she gets stuck in this teeny town and has to serve three days of community service because of several unpaid parking tickets. During the three days she is there, her eyes are opened up to a whole different life, a life that she hadn’t planned out for herself. It makes her reevaluate her priorities and what she’s doing with her life.”
CBS: How did you get involved with the film?
CCB: “The script was sent to me, and I read it and really loved the story’s message. I loved the character, because it isn’t someone I’ve played before. I just loved the story itself and the message.”
CBS: Finding Normal is all about finding a meaningful life. What were the greatest lessons that you learned from your work on the film?
CCB: “I learned that it’s very easy for us to plan what we’re going to do with our lives, but it’s really about being open to the unexpected and taking the time to stop and smell the roses. Things can be much more different and better, even though they weren’t necessarily planned out that way.”
CBS: How did you balance your work on the film with your family life?
CCB: “This film was on-location. It’s a funny thing when I go work on a film; I miss my family dearly, but the first week is actually a really nice break. I have three kids and my husband, and sometimes I think to myself, ‘It’s kind of nice to have a week off!’ However, after that week I hate not seeing them every day. It’s tough, but during this time I’m also very concentrated on my work. My ‘mom hat’ never comes off, because I’m constantly calling to make sure all the kids’ schedules are organized and my husband knows where they need to go. My kids also always call me. At the same time, I have to turn off my cellphone in the middle of the day so I can give my work 100% focus.
My family and I found our routine for when I have to be on-location. Like I said, even though my ‘mom hat’ is always on, I really just let my husband do his thing and do it the way he wants to do it. I try not to get too involved because I drive myself insane.”
CBS: Do you still keep in contact with your other Full House co-stars?
CCB: “I do. I actually just went out with Andrea Barber and we’re still great friends. I filmed another movie in Vancouver for the last month, and Lori Loughlin was also up in Vancouver filming a movie. We hung out together on the weekend and had a great time. We all keep in touch and hang out; they are all like my second family.”
CBS: Tell us about your three children. How old are they and what do they like to do for fun? Do they all get along well?
CCB: “My oldest, Natasha, will be fifteen this summer. I also have a thirteen-year-old son named Lev and an eleven-year-old son named Maksim. Natasha is a typical fifteen-year-old; she is really girlie and fun, and all she thinks about is social networking and ‘Instagramming.’ She also loves musical theater and performing, so I don’t know if she is going to follow in my footsteps. Lev and Maksim are very into hockey, just like their dad. They both play travel hockey on the Jr. Kings team, and that consumes their lives. We’re at the arena five to six days a week.
Next year, I’ll have two kids in junior high school and one in high school. I feel too young to have kids that old, but I do! [laughs]
They do get along well for the most part. My youngest and my oldest, Maksim and Natasha, sometimes pick on each other and fight. They all have a lot of fun together, but the boys sometimes gang up on Natasha too; they’ll leave her out of the conversation when it comes down to sports.”
CBS: How do you bond with your children? Do you all do any special activities together?
CC: “We do a lot of activities together. Whether it’s going out and playing tennis or going for jogs in the morning before school, I’m with my kids all the time. We also do things my kids specifically like. My daughter will always ask if we can get our nails done, go shopping together, and walk around. My boys love going to the movies, throwing the Frisbee outside, or making videos with me in them. It sounds silly, but I have a video account containing a bunch of videos of my kids and I. We’re just goofy and silly; we sing crazy songs in the car and run around. To me, it’s also really important to do a lot of community service projects and efforts with my kids. For example, we just volunteered to put on a carnival at a women and children’s shelter. We like doing things like that often.”
CBS: What other upcoming projects do you have?
CC: “Finding Normal is out May 18th and 19th. I also just finished filming the new Hallmark Christmas movie Let It Snow. That will be out during the Christmas time. In January of next year, I am also releasing my second book called Balancing It All. I’ve been pretty busy the last few months, but we’ll see what the summer and fall have in store. I don’t know yet.”
CBS: What did you do for Mother’s Day?
CC: “One of my boys had a hockey tournament on Mother’s Day. In regard to what Mother’s Day means to me, I really love when I am able to get together with my mom and grandma; I love when all the generations can come together. It’s all about honoring moms and all that we do for our kids and our families. Being a mom is a huge responsibility; moms wear so many hats and have so many jobs besides just taking care of children. It’s just a wonderful day to honor the special women in our lives.”
CBS: What do you plan to do with your family this summer?
CC: “We are going to spend most of the summer in Napa Valley. We have a home up in Napa Valley, because our wine label, Bure Family Wines, is also there. We will just hang out in Napa and enjoy being in a slower pace than L.A. Over the summer, I like have a good glass of wine and let the kids have fun and run around.”
Finding Normal will premiere exclusively on GMC TV on Saturday, May 18, and Sunday, May 19 at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. ET/PT.
