Hey, Fana Ritos, Welcome back to an all new episode of How Rude Tanner Ritos. We have a very special guest today. He has literally known me since birth and has stuck by my side ever since, whether he's wanted to or not. It's my big brother, Darren Barber who. Darren has so many memories to share from our childhood years, spending hours in the back of mom's station wagon as
she drove us to auditions every afternoon after school. He'll tell us what it was like having a famous sister, what it was like being in the audience for them. He has a famous sister, Yeah, I know, I can't wait to find out who it is. No, gonna tell us all about what it was like being in the audience for that iconic telethon episode which he didn't know he was getting into, yes, and how he came up with the idea for Funeral Files. Originator of Funeral Files
my favorite. Plus lucky for me, he has all of the embarrassing stories that only a brother would know. Jody, You're in for a real treat with this one today, and so well, he's he's very excited to meet Jensen if Jensen ever shows up.
I heard Jensen and that's for one Daan, that's from.
His days k Rock, right, yeah, yeah, the Kevin Bean Show.
Yeah, I also loved Kevin and Bean. But like I didn't even think about the fact.
That it's Jensen.
But when I told Darren, I'm like, hey, I'm starting a new podcast with Jody.
We're doing you know how rude.
It's full House rewatch the first thing he said, Jensen carp is producing, doesn't give a rip about Danielle, doesn't give a rip you know me or full House.
He knows us.
He's smart, you know, he's like anyway you guys big news.
Yeah, He's like, wow, Jensen, that's so cool. And I'm like, oh my god.
I mean, Jensen is cool. He finds obscure T shirts. He I feel like he rocks a really good like shoe game, you know what I mean.
Like he's just he's that he's that cool kid.
Yeah, he's he's a cool He's a mixed bag.
I feel like he might almost be like one like a lost uh uh forgotten member of the Beastie Boys, right, you know what I mean, Like, like I.
Feel like as they all ate like age, that you'd be like yeah, I could see. Yeah, you could have. I could see that totally, totally.
I feel like Jensen could have his own booth at comic Con and make out really well, just right, just right.
Just out of his T shirts alone, you know what I mean. He'd be like, you're not gonna believe what I found? Yeah, oh perfect, Yeah, let him in.
It's grow I'm not Barber today on how Rude Tannerito's please. Welcome to the podcast, my brother, Darren.
I realized I had to hit okay before I could do my normal audio and video.
I kept hitting it.
And suddenly I'm an old and then it's like, oh, I have to hit okay, I'm being recorded.
Great, Oh I just saw who joined?
Uh, where's my three Jensen? I don't need this. I don't need to see your senior portrait? Where's my three bills?
I was very Armenian in that picture.
All right, Darren, meet Jensen Jensen, meet your number one fan, Arren.
Nice to meet you. We have a very small niche audience. You hear your top of the niche audience.
Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to get my Patty lapel Ino.
Oh there you go, there's which Patty lapel. Are you wearing today, baby dead lasso? Of course?
What two of them?
Hi? You?
One for one for me and one for Roger.
I'm significantly disappointed, giving the amount of coin I spent on this, that Jensen doesn't remember our first meeting, of which I provided photographic evidence to you Andrea at the slide bar for a.
Quick oh yes, yes yes for Kevin Bean, yes yes, yes, yes, yes, yeah yeah.
Jensen talks about it all the time.
I'm making them the pelpin of us together.
You should.
I'm sure it'll be a big seller if you include my mug in it, so we'll be arm in an arm.
Wait, but why does he why does he owe you three hundred dollars?
What's you have to tell that story?
Now?
Jensen can? Jensen can tell you the joke.
Kanye is Well, it's not a joke. It's real. Kanye. Kanye West owes me three hundred dollars. You can look at that story. Yeah, I rented him a car once we were we were close friends. I wrote a book and there's a full chapter about how we were friends and I loaned him money and then I didn't want the money back. But he was like one of those people who like like would text me, I'll get it to you, and I'd be like, don't worry about it.
You're like, well now I kind of want it, like it's it's and like I forgot yeah, now I need it, and and so he uh he and I stopped talking. And then when I wrote the book, I was in an office pitching a TV show and they were talking about my book and they said, you know, he's next door and I said, who's next door? And they said Kanye's next door and I said oh, and my book was like coming out in a few months, and they were like, we can go talk to him about it.
And I was like, no, like, don't do that. That could ruin everything. And they were like well, and they were like yeah, but what if he like promotes the book? And I was like right, And I let them convince me, which is stupid, that like, oh, he'll help, which he won't. He's terrible, he's insane, he's not the same person as when we were actually friends. He's just And so I
let them convince me. Not I was never going to go over there, but they were like, we'll talk to him when you leave and then we'll call you and I said great, and so I leave and it's like a big deal to me. So I'm like waiting by the phone and hours passed and I was like, what the fuck? And so I call them and I go what happened? And they go, oh, no, what it went
really bad? And I was like, yeah, no, shit, Like he you know, she said, he wishes you the best, but he's happy to hear you're okay, but he like doesn't want anything to do with it. And I said okay. And then I looked down at Twitter, which was like a big deal then, and he had tweeted, like twenty minutes after I left. He tweeted, uh, don't ever use my name for your marketing campaigns. Wow.
I mean, I'm sure he doesn't want to use his name for marketing campaigns these days either.
Nobody made us was this? That was?
This was?
This was a long time ago. But the book is called Kanye westws Me three hundred Dollars, but it's only one chapter. It's like there's many there's many stories. One of them is that and it's it's the clickbaity title right right.
I was I was hoping you look like just went full say anything style with Rihanna's better have my money into the conference room that he was sitting in, because that would have been pretty epic as well.
I was tempting, but also I was so nervous he could like put an injuncture even if it's real. He knows me right, right, right right, so nervous that he could like ruin the title. And I was like, oh no, what are we doing? And he can't. I checked a thousand lawyers because he does owe me three hundred dollars that it's totally allowed, right, we one a.
Ten percent interest that's probably worth about four hundred and fifty bucks now, So I mean that's probably pretty cool.
I'm app to that because I would have said three hundred and thirty dollars, so I just ten percent. I would have just put ten percent on it.
Sorry, it's per anim So every year we got it.
Yearly understood, you know how you know how lawyers work? You know, well, are you guys going to be is the guy's just about me? I'm nervous, it's just about me.
This is this is a better podcast. Jody and Andrew are going to agree that this is the better version of it.
Oh just wait, Darren, you fulfill Darren's stream because I was just telling Jodie before we started recording, I said, when I announced, and I told Darren, I said, hey, I'm doing a new podcast for iHeartRadio. Uh, the full House re rewatch podcasts with Jody. I'm really excited. You know, Daniel Fisher and Jensen Carp were producing, and Darren's like, Jensen Carp, you get to work with Jensen car doesn't give her about Danielle or.
No, He's like, I've seen you guys, it's not impressive.
Yeah, but Jensa you get to work with Pete best of the Beatles, right right. This is like.
Literally I'm the only person that likes Jensen more than his wife and the couple, the celebrity couple that they are.
I mean, Danielle is wonderful.
But but she's no Jensen Carp, you know what I mean.
And I loved him on Kevin Bean and that's when I really just delved into the quirkiness and and the stories and I just it just hit me. It's just funny. I love it, and answered incredibly creative and talented.
So you know, well this show so yeah, and I've enjoyed working with Andrew and Jody, and it's been, uh, you know, really rewarding in a weird way because Danielle and I have been working on kind of doing the spin off show, and it's we've talked about what it's meant to us a lot, and and it's just crazy to like redefine these stories from people who were child stars. It's like, like to have the final word, I think
has been has been really meaningful to us. I mean, you know the fact that like the final word won't be from fifty year old white dudes who put the words in their mouth. Now they get to put words in their own mouth. And it's pretty amazing.
Yeah, it's great, absolutely great. All Right, so Jody's coming for me. I guess I'll just have to deal with it.
No, no, no, I'm just I'm just so excited to be here, uh in support of ab potentially being roasted at some point in this show.
All right, well my my pronounce in the box.
That's there. You go.
You have a good show. Don't think of me ever again.
Wait am I? Andrew said you may be popping in with notes or something. Is there some screen I'm supposed to also be looking at.
No, you're good. You're good. That's just no. We don't want you to see those notes.
We don't even exist.
Normany is not even usually here.
I said that security clericy.
Al Right, goodbye friends.
Thanks, that was amazing, dream fulfilled.
Right, it's so great. Right, and now Jensen owes me three hundred dollars.
So there you go. Well, I knew you would get the joke when I texted at the Annie. I'm like, he'll know what I'm talking about.
Hold on, we just you call her Annie.
I do call her Annie.
Yeah, I have heard you call her that, but I just need our audience because I call her a B.
Okay, and he calls you Annie. I like it.
The Barber family proper calls me Annie since I was a little child. But then my full house family and close friends call me AB. But now our whole audience that's listening right now, they all call me a B now too. So right, okay, god, AB is more ubiquitous, but Annie is reserved for.
That's how you that's right, right, So don't just audience, don't be calling her Annie.
We're not at that level.
And text messages some to you know, we sometimes revert to a B and stuff. But I mean historically, even before Andrew was born, the middle child for whom will not speak of, he goes by JB and so, and he was JB his entire life, so you know, everybody I was only won without a nickname. It was Darren, JB and Annie. That's just kind of how the family rolled. So it just stuck.
Well, I feel like you're D Barbs.
But with the little D you know what I mean, there's like there's the D Barbs and then there's like the the like the lower kid, you know what I mean, Like you you're you can't.
Usurp the king. But yeah, okay, yeah, you know what I mean.
She has a different view like of D Barbs. Like I told her, you know, you're not. There's there's hints of there's hints of Dad in you, and it's coming out like each year a little bit more. The gene is active, as we say, and it's coming out a little bit more.
But no, I'm like, he is not. He's not D Barbs. He's not.
No, no, no, I mean I think D Barbes was born after that. The picture of him getting off of that helicopter in Katalina looking like President I would have voted for him.
I wish, I wish that was an option, but.
I yeah, it was pretty epic. So that's my like, I have a very uh extraordinary version in my head.
Okay, well, I don't know how much gets said and how much doesn't, but I don't want Jody talking about my little d So I'm not sure what your demo is actual monologue, and I'm like, I.
Look, that's not anyway continued.
It's gonna be a good little sparring session between the three of us.
Oh, it's not gonna be sparring. We're going to gang up on you. Don't don't worry about that.
Great great Darren understands the assigned more than he should.
Actually, Well, Darren, I'm so excited to have you on the show today. I know you're super busy, so thank you so much for carving out time. I'm really excited and nervous about what you're gonna say today. Me too, No, I mostly I am also really excited because I want to talk about like the whole genesis of how we became child actors, because I don't think a lot of people know that you and our other brother, Justin, we were all child actors at the same time with Judy Savage.
And I was five at the time you were twelve, and so I don't have like firm memories of that time in my life, and I'm hoping you have a few more. So, yeah, what do you remember about how we got started in acting and how we met Judy Savage?
And Judy is a legendary young people's agent in Hollywood in like the eighties and nineties and still a wonderful, dear, flamboyantly awesome lady.
So anyway, I love her dearly.
I yeah, she has changed my life and obviously everybody here and I can't say enough good things about her.
And yeah, I have I have.
A firm recollection of it, fortunately and unfortunately, so I'll share that, and it's a lot of it is very eighties ask which is good for nostalgia, but also we've come a long way in the evolution of things that we do and don't do in this country now. So I can tell you what happened was our family did
a lot of regional theater. Our mom was a really talented actress and stuff, and so she would be in a variety of plays and then if there were kids in the plays, we would audition and inevitably get cast.
And so, ironically enough, there was a show playing locally called The King and I, and the three of Us auditions, so you can imagine two pasty, white, blonde haired, blue eyed boys trying to play Siamese kids and Andrea all auditioning for The King and I. And of course, as is foreshadowing of this entire episode, Andrea gets cast in
the production and Justin and I do not. And it's like okay, because yeah, they decide they can spray paint her hair black and I guess you had some you know, melotonin on your face enough to not look as ghostly as we did. And so she was cast as the youngest Siamese princess in the production. And there, you know, it gets noticed, even though there's forty kids on stage.
Andrew gets noticed, one because she's the youngest. And two there's a scene where they're running and I just remember someone kind of picking her up and grabbing her by the arm and she like flung almost you know, horizontally, five feet.
As they made a turn.
And I was five.
Yeah.
That spurred a phone call from a talent manager who shall remain nameless for this production, and he called to ask about representing Andrea and asked who I was, and I explained I was her older brother.
You know, Oh, there any more kids.
In the in the family, Yeah, we have another one, and I'd like to meet with the three of you and see about representing you for show business. So that that was what started the whole part of it, and met with him. He decided to sign the three of us up and introduced us to Judy, who was more
largely influential. And everything that happened thereafter. And the reason I'm being a bit vague about the manager is unfortunately, you know, it turned out later that he was a pedophile and was you know, in the business to find kids and victims and stuff. And thankfully none of the three of us were victimized. But and Judy played the largest role in everything pretty much thereafter. So that's how we, you know, stumbled into show business.
Was Andrea being.
A Siamese kid and me answering the phone when some random guy called.
And that's not a story of success. I don't know what is, you know.
Yeah, I mean it's not being at what was at Sardi's in Hollywood and getting walked up to by a talent agent. But you know, it's kind of the child.
Equivalent of yeah, yeah, for sure, how did you stumble into this whole business? So that's that's where it all started.
And we didn't know what we were getting into, and mom and dad didn't know what we were like. It was just like, hey, this sounds interesting, let's give it a try. It was not like we had dreams of being Hollywood stars or anything like that.
This was.
And my parents. Yeah, I was like, sure, this might be fun. Why not give it a whirl. Let's give it a shot, right, So yeah, and.
It started well, I mean, I think at first it was kind of fun and stuff. You had to drive out to LA in different places, and we had to learn how to read, you know, the Thomas Guide, which for Thomas.
Guide should sponsor a portion of this show. Really we mentioned it.
Before ways and Google maps and everything else. We actually had paper and we had to read it.
We had we had a seven year old telling you how to get along the freeway.
Yeah, so it got really adept at that, and you know, I think at first it was fun for all of us, and then it was after that it was fun for Andrea, because Andrew had just.
Had this ability to just book jobs.
I mean, I don't think she went more than three auditions without book and a job. You know, we'd go out like, oh she got a park Butter commercial.
Oh she yes, I remember that one.
You know, and our parents beat wonderful.
We're trying to be, you know, really nice, like no, no, no, you you got a McDonald's commerce and that was your twenty fifth audition.
And if you get a job out of every thirty.
That's successful in this business, and like matth doesn't resonate with a twelve year old that's being rejected twenty four out of twenty five times. It just feels like a lot of wear and tear on your self esteem and a lot of miles and time in the car trying to do homework to and from interest.
And that was that wasn't a comment on like yours or Justin's acting ability. I think it's just because I was a girl and so I was more marketable and they were I mean, you know, I was a cute kid with pigtails and you were, like you said, a pasty, white, really thin preteen.
So I mean that had a lot right to do with it as well.
So I think I think had you stayed with it longer, you would have been very successful. And you were you were on one day at a time as Farley.
That do you want to tell us about your audiently, I need to know about Farley.
Yeah, as in miss Farley. Now that was Three's company. Also great job.
Yeah so as oh man you yeah, so Farley. I don't know.
I don't know what the writer was thinking in terms of that name of a show.
And at the.
Time that I was an incredibly popular boy's name if I remember right, you know everyone was named Farley.
It was.
You were born in the eighteen hundreds. You look great, pre age goodness, great show.
Yeah.
Yeah, there's me and thaddyus you know we no so yeah.
This was more towards the tail end of that run of the sitcom with with Body, Bonnie Franklin and Pat Schneider. So the episode revolved around smoking and lung cancer and quitting smoking.
So they needed a fourteen year old ex.
Smoker to be one of the U five characters on that show under five line characters, And somehow I got cast, you know, wearing you know, this kind of shirt with a sweater over like a preppy out of some other movie. I was completely dressed the wrong way for it and even on the show. So I was cast as a fourteen year old ex smoker in this episode as a guest appearance on One Day at a Time with the stage name of Barley, which you know certainly went over huge as a freshman in high.
School right when that aired.
In terms of both my acting ability, the character and my wardrobe.
But yeah, that was.
That was Did Farley smoke a pipe? Would that have been more appropriate for the way that you were dressed?
It wouldn't have been better, more out of character than it already was, but you know it was.
You know, it was a fun experience.
The other interesting thing about it is you know that, as you know, they're five day shoots, and so Warner Brothers I think was the producer of that.
I'm not I probably shouldn't say that. I don't know who what the producer company was.
I'll just leave it at that, but spoke, I'm not going to legally say anything that may come back to hunt me.
Right, So, whoever was producing the show and in charge of the money only wanted to pay for four days of me being on set, and I don't think it was so much the fifth day of the payment. But you gotta get the social worker, the teacher, you know, all his other expenses, you know. So I was only going to be there for four of the five days, but our father insisted that I was there for all five days. So I show up at the table read on Monday, and all that did was confuse you know.
Bonnie Franklin, Pat Schneider, Valerie Burtonelli. They're looking around, going, Okay, he's far lee, but that PA's reading his lines because he can't talk. But I can look at him, and I'm thinking, yeah, Dad got me into this. This is fantastic. So we drove out there, I sat there. I said nothing. I got paid nothing for Monday.
Yeah, right, exactly, Craus killer negotiation. Come on, Dad happened.
Yeah. I give him a ton of credit.
But he's definitely got the Dad vibes on that and stuff.
And I had my own almost.
Successes on other things, kind of like what was spoken probably off camera before we started, you know where I was almost successful here and almost successful there. And I don't think Dad sabotaged me. I think he did everything he could that to help me. But you know, going back to Andrea's point about being young girl pigtails, yeah, maybe that had something to do with it for her success. But she's also very talented. I mean both of you
don't get into that spot. There's some luck on opportunity obviously in this business, but the two of you are very talented and deserving of the roles that you've achieved, both on this house fuller house than otherwise.
Oh yeah, yeah, really, yeah, you really are you. I've always said there's something just you are so funny and so just yeah, you really die into particularly Kimmy. You just you embody her so well, it's great.
Well, thank you.
And I always say anything that's good or talented about me that I got that from Mom.
And same with Darren.
I think you got your your wit, your comedy skills, your ability to just capture the attention of a room. I think you got that from mom too. So we thank her for all of the good things about us.
Yeah, the awkward stuff and the missteps are all from Dad. All the other things are from mom. I would agree with that one hundred percent. I should share you know, before the one day to Time piece, I was almost cast in silver spoons. I got down to the final two to be Ricky Schroeder's bad boy friend for a couple of seasons.
Wow, you were quite the bad You're doing the bad boy rounds, Darren.
You just yeah, pasty white thin for some reason, resonated even before meth was.
A big thing, because remember this is the eighties, so it's probably good.
Yeah, it wasn't even then.
And so we get down to the final two and I'm told that I'm not cast because I'm blonde hair, blue eyed and looked like Ricky Schroeder. And I'm thinking, you knew this when I walked in, Like, how did they get this far to the final two? And then they cast some unknown dude named Jason Bateman. I'm sure he was fine. I'm not really sure what happened to him. Yeah, you know, I will say, had I gotten it, I certainly wouldn't have had the career he had because he's immensely talented.
But yeah, I lost out on that role.
And then they had another show about a year later, so that I made the next step too. I'm cast. I got a show.
Here we go.
It's called called a Glory. I'm super excited. Judy got two of the kids on there, myself and Laura Harden, who Okay.
I've done chosen Laura and she was Diane Harden, my acting teacher's daughter.
Okay, so wonderful. But it was a big deal because Judy was still small at that time the agency, So to get two of the three kid roles on that show was a big deal, you know. I was like, Oh, this is going to be awesome, you know. So I was going to be the middle child, and signed a contract like twelve times and everything, and then right before it starts, it's like, uh, yeah, You're not on the show. They've recast you. And I'm thinking, how how bad was
I before we started? And they had some other kid under contract with a different show on ABC that the pilot wasn't picked up, so they just moved him into my role and dismissed me, and as a as a consolation prize, they I was on an episode with no lines in the first season at some point, and all I remember about that is it was some kind of classroom scene or something, and Christy Swanson was one.
Of the other.
Actors in there, and I met her at that point and then I was done and I thought, man, this is really hard.
Even when you think you get a job, you don't get a job.
So you can shoot a whole movie or a show and it never it never sees the light.
Of day exactly.
So you'll see a little snippet of Call the Glory and I'm like, yeah, it really wasn't for me. It turned out to be just a sad story for me. And then one day at a time got booked the next year and so you know, I just my assent was very slow and steady, and then.
Over that's okay, But you did. But you did the stage production Vita. You were a singer and part of the ensemble for quite a while.
I remember you your.
Dad had to drive you out to l A. What was that eight shows a week or I don't know. As a child, I don't know if you were allowed to do all eight shows per week, but that was really significant.
Wow, that was.
Awesome, that that part.
Yeah, I would say that's when theatrical productions were really gaining a lot of steam in the eighties, and I think.
A chorus Line was the first one to break through.
But then you know, Andrew Lloyd Weber's A Vita was massive, and it was their national touring company. It was in Century City at the Schubert Theater, so much further past La And yeah, it was eight shows a week, six day with Mondays we were dark, so two shows on Saturday, two shows on Sunday. It was down there at the Sensory Plaza.
And it was fun because.
You get cast as a singer dancer, which is really interesting because there was no dancing on my part, let alone skill level. And the parts where the children were involved were only two or three scenes, including.
The bow at the end.
But we got paid a good amount of money to be in the show and.
Learn the news for you. And during that one.
I was choir boy.
How old were you?
Oh?
I'm sorry, there's Don's ears and the hearing going.
You get off the showdown, screw up? Yeah, there you go.
I was twelve. Then I started that when I was in sixth grade, I believe if.
I remember, so this was pre this was this was before your your bad boy era.
Yeah it actually okay, got it.
I guess before you when you hadn't started smoking yet, No, before he became the fourteen year old ex smoker.
Okay, got it?
Exactly? Really turned really interesting teen years.
So yeah, so that, yeah, I was twelve then, and that that lasted six or eight months. I got in in the second year in that production and it was I mean, it was a lot of work, but I enjoyed it and had a good time. Got to play pac Man, the arcade game on Saturdays and Sundays in between shows. Sometimes would even go see a movie and there's a three hour break in between in the evening.
And God blessed Dad for doing that drive because he has a practicing attorney to try to leave every day at the office at like two o'clock and put files on your briefcase so you get out there, you get your tutoring on the set and then do the show and then drive home at ten thirty eleven o'clock at night and go to bed at midnight. That that was a lot and stuff, so that that was a wonderful experience. Met some really neat people. We had a reunion a couple of years ago, put on by the guy that
replaced me when I left, who's also an attorney. All these attorneys get involved, but Patrick O'Brien a very very successful attorney and great guy and great family.
Also represented by Judy Savage.
Well, Judy represent I feel like, yeah, like eight out.
Of ten kids that were in the business between nineteen eighty and nineteen.
You know, ninety nine were with Judy one hundred percent.
So yeah, that was probably the most successful thing I did. Quite honestly. That lasted, like I said, six or eight months, and then I left before they went on tour. They'd been at the Schubert for two years, and then they were going to go to Colorado, Denver, Colorado, San Francisco, and I just told mom and dad I didn't want to leave.
And go on tour. I wanted to be with my friends.
So I left, left the production and have a few regrets, but not too many, and finished up junior high and went to high school to become the ex smoker and stuff.
So and yeah, look at you now get the smoke free for pretty five years exactly.
Yeah, I'm doing really well. Was able to kick that.
Pretty much one day at a time. You know, well played, Jody, well play, I'll see myself.
You win this round.
You don't see yourself out. You doubled down and bring in the next calendar.
Well, Mom and Dad always had such a great mindset regarding the three of us being in Hollywood. You know, they always emphasize that this is a hobby and you don't have to do it, Like as long as you're done under contract, you can quit at any time. You just quit on the one oh one Freeway when you're
on the way to an audition, rank or Hungary. So that's where we kind of took different paths because you know, you were starting high school and developing new interests, and I was under contract with full House by the time I.
Got trying to say he quit on the one o one freeway. No, but tell me about.
Your decision to leave the business and what mom and dad thought, what Judy thought, Like, how did you come to that decision?
You know, I don't know what Judy thought. I'm sure she was supportive of it. She understood it. Once again, economics come into play. It was getting very difficult to land rules in high school because they could cast eighteen year olds to play younger and then there's a social worker, no tutoring, and it just saved a bunch of time, and plus you could work longer hours. So I understand the economics of it. And after my freshman year in high school, I just said, you know what, I think
I'm done. I want to play high school sports and be involved in that because I'm just knocking in the auditions and stuff, and it it just.
That was a better path for me.
I mean, Andrea had had a wonderful trajectory from Days of Our Lives to commercials, Days of our Lives, more commercials, Movie the Week, Full House. I mean it was really, you know, going well for her, and that's awesome, but as the older brother, you keep going out and not getting roles and then like, oh we cast an eighteen year old, we cast a twenty one year old, even in Avida, although there were six kids, one of them was twenty four and the other one was thirty two.
I mean, talk about casting and putting people in multiple roles. So that's when I decided my better path for success and enjoyment was just to leave and do high school and then if I ever wanted to go back and.
Revisit it, I would, but we just kind of see how it would go.
And I actually left for college right as Andrea landed the full House role, so I wasn't actually living at home when that all started, which brings up a whole other dynamic and everything.
So right, Yeah, that's true. So we're seven years apart. You're seven years older than I am. So yeah, during the full house years, we didn't live at mom and dad's house together for a while until you moved back when you started law school. And then you want to save some money, and you know law schools is very expensive, so you move back in with mom and dad, and then we had to share a bathroom. Yeah, which, yes, about a whole new dynamic between you and me.
Yeah, that went really well, that went super well.
It was me complaining every day, like, she's in the bathroom for an hour, I've got a drive to La in my car with no air conditioning to go to law school. I need to shower. Can we just get a schedule, And repeatedly my mom and dad wouldn't address it and just let her stay in there for a half hour or two an hour, and I'm like, I'll go at six o'clock, at six thirty, like, let's just figure this out.
And being the youngest.
And only girl in the family, there was absolute preferential treatment. I would bang on the door hurry up, and I think she would intentionally slow down to uh not that.
I have definitely seen that happen with my two kids, where you're like, oh.
And I mean, I get it.
Somebody hanks at me if I'm not moving to I'm like, oh no, now I will die in this sparking spot.
Yeah.
At one point, I remember just getting so frustrated. I just walked into mom and Dad's master bathroom and started showering. Dad's like, what the hell are you doing? And I'm like, my shower's taken. Go deal with your daughter. I gotta get it.
I was over it, just absolutely over it, because understanding that. You know, obviously Andrew, like I said, was successful, but this was probably the biggest success that she had had in terms of popularity and notoriety.
And I wasn't a part of that or living that. And I'm just her older brother. I've been older brother my entire life, so there's that constant sibling rival.
I don't see rivalry, but just you know, she.
Was throwing her ego around in regards to using the bathroom. She was like, look, I'm going to be in here as long as I want and and there's nothing you can do about it.
And that's I get it. Yeah, I've seen that side of a b.
No, it was an ego, but there was definitely like little sister Oblivia. I was just like what I need. I need the shower, I need the bathroom. And you're a boy, so you know, goay, Like I just I didn't care.
I was like whatever he can deal. Yeah, well what you were probably like what fifteen? Yeah I was, and he was like twenty two.
Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, No one else exists with me age.
Like Andrea said, our parents did a really good job of trying to keep us grounded, and we constantly went to school in the public school system.
When we were on set, being tutored or whatever.
And so you know that there was a normal routine that Andrea had, you know, being the only one in the house at that point, the only child in the house. And that was disrupted when I came back to live at home, so I could not pay rent and go ahead and just try to save money to limit the loans for law school and.
And you know, go through that journey next.
But you got to find a way to coexist in that whole in that whole process, and.
I wasn't handled well by either one of us.
And you know, she's always my little sister, and so that's how I view her, or other people don't.
I constantly view her that way.
And so there was the older sibling, you know, there's the teasing, there's the the rivalries, there's all the stuff that goes on in the normal sibling dynamics. And that's how I've always thought of her or viewed her. And it's funny because other people don't. And I have to remind myself of that at times.
Oh yeah, well, I mean it's like any family, you know what I mean, You're like, that's they're not a famous person, that's my whatever, you know what I mean, Like they're they annoy me right right.
I can tell you story after story, you know where people will say, I didn't know your sister was on Full House?
Why didn't you tell me?
And I'll say, I don't know what your sibling does for a living, Like why would I Why would I open with that? Like, Hi, I'm Darren Barber.
By the way, my sister's on Full House, you know, and.
So here's what you should Apparently people are that's what the people want, you.
Know, apparently. But I'm like, yeah, she's my sister, Andy.
Like I don't know, I don't know what else to tell you, you know, I mean that that's how I that's how I know her and relate related.
I guess it's like when people ask us like, oh my god, isn't John Stamo so cute and you're like, I don't, it's I've known him too no, no, no, too long.
Yeah.
Yeah, Well, and I attribute to you and justin like, that's the reason why I was so grounded because of Mom and dad, for sure, but also because I had two older brothers who were.
Constantly keeping me in check.
You know, anytime you think that, I know, you've got stories about how like my ego would kind of ge get to me. I kind of got a little bit of a big head. I think you're kind of exaggerating in line about that, but you guys kept me in check. You know. If ever I was like, you know, being recognized in public, and if I didn't feel like saying hi to the fan, you were like, no, go say hi to that fan, Like these.
People are the ones that are keeping you employed.
You're gonna go say hi to that fan and make that a moment for them that came from you and Mom.
Well, yeah, and maybe I guess I would agree with that to a small extent, but I think the more I think more of the I don't know, ego, I guess is the right word. But you definitely played on being the youngest girl and Dad's favorite and stuff way more than the celebrity piece. I mean, that's where, that's
where most of the interactions and stuff. I mean, she she has and continues to have Dad wrapped around her finger, you know, where it's I as the eldest and the trailblazer, and it's like, you know, no kid of mine's going to get a brand new sports car, you know, you know when they start to drive and every thing, and then Andrea suddenly has a red accurate Integra that's brand new, and I'm like, oh, so, what happened to that rule Dad that I miss?
Did I miss a change in the third?
There are no rules?
By the second You're like, dude, yeah, it doesn't really matter, you know, Like, so yeah, I get it.
And the only girl I can only imagine.
In my defense though, because of my success as a child actor, I was able to buy that car myself when I turned eighteen, So I'm trying to rub it an in or anything but it's not like my parents like here here, here's a brand new car. It's like I've worked for most of my life at this point for this, I'm going to celebrate.
I'm going to buy my first car.
So there's you know, some nuance behind those stories. But you guys definitely love this is great.
I'm just watching this and go back and forth like there's nuance.
No, but it was a little yeah.
I wouldn't say it was so much the celebrity aspect of it as it was the family dynamics and if there was any celebrity component what to it. It was, you know, the mom and Andrea had a very close relationship, and my dad just loves a celebrity thing.
I mean, my.
Dad just he leans into it so far he's horizontal. The guy just can't get enough of it, wearing the full house jacket around.
My dad did the same thing with the full house hat and the you know, and he my dad would lead with like we'd go into like a coffee shop or restaurant and be like, hey, this is my famous job, and you're like.
Can you know, oh my god, what are you doing?
But like not like they were just so excited and so proud, and they.
Should be, but it is awkward. I would imagine your shoes to go do we really have to wear that? So if they're like, oh that looks familiar, Oh yeah, now I know because I can read your hat.
Or your right.
You know, it's like a billboard looks like I don't walk around with the billboards your show I'm on next to me, his dad's wearing the well the full House Merge.
Yeah.
But you know, the great part of those things are there are those moments in time where it becomes so routine that when it's not something that you usually well, it's absolutely hilarious. And we had a moment at Disneyland as a family and we were walking towards Cinderella's Castle and these tours from Asia had come up to us, and they went to Andrew and said, you know, can
we get a picture? And Andrew's like, sure, And so she goes and stands in the middle of the family of four, puts her arms around them, and they're kind of looking at her and holding the camera and stuff. And I suddenly realized they had no idea who she is. She's just random Disneyland visitor that they've asked to take.
A picture, take their picture right right, not with us, right.
He'd like you to take the photograph, you know. And so she just had automatically gone into full house mode and we're dying, and so.
Of course she takes the photo.
They're happy, they walked off, and man, Justin and I were just into her for the next hour, you know, in terms of oh, maybe should go stand with that family, maybe go over there and have that one.
You know that that was.
The automaticity of you like, yeah, I know the gig, I do this, blah blah blah, and like, nope, that's not what they were asking. Yeah, those are the great moments for for us as the older siblings to every once in a while you get to check yourself.
So yeah, my kids check me all the time. They're like ooh at Jody Sweeten official. I'm like, can you still like they just make fun of yeah, just make fun of me.
Well, and I'm sure your kids also are just they love it, but at the same time they'll never admit it. You know, they want to use it, utilize it as currency, but otherwise, no, that's.
My mom, sure, big yeah, for sure, it's ill mom, until it's hey, mom, which is kind of just life as a mom anyway.
Yeah, yeah, can you get us justin Bieber tickets? Do you know anybody for Taylor Swift?
It's like, all right now, suddenly I am Jody Sweeten official. You want to have a conversation talk to my manager.
Thanks for joining us, you guys. That wraps up Part one of our interview with Darren Barber. And when I tell you, I am absolutely loving this interview. I just this has been such a joy. So I'm sure you Fana Rito's are loving it just as much as I am. So tune in Apart two of our interview with Darren Barber, airing this Friday.
You definitely don't want to miss it.
There are more stories, Andrea's ego really gets out of hand.
And yeah, but if you.
Guys want to follow us on Instagram, the Old People's site, you can follow us at Howard Podcast or you can send us an email at Howard Podcast at gmail dot com. Make sure you're liking it subscribing to the podcast on wherever you're listening to it so that you can get the newest episodes and the part two of the hard hitting interview with Darren as soon as it comes out, and we will see you next time at fan Rito's. And remember, the world is small, but the house is full Farley.
Actually that was the spin off of the show. It's going to be a house full of Farley. Yeah.
Hey, they should do a reboot and bring bring it all back right sartly.
Ye m hm