Despite playing the popular friend of Candace Cameron Bure and Andrea Barber’s characters on Full House, Anne Marie McEvoy wanted more privacy in real life and pursued that right after her Hollywood career. The 48-year-old played Kathy Santoni in the hit series and reprised her role in the Fuller House reboot.
She discussed this with her co-stars Jodie Sweetin and Andrea on a recent episode of the How Rude, Tanneritos! podcast, Anne Marie disclosed her reasons for working as an actress and how she always planned to leave Hollywood in due time.
Anne Marie McEvoy reveals her reasons for joining (and leaving) Hollywood
Anne Marie admitted to Jodie and Andrea that she simply needed work to put her through college, hence her reason for becoming an actress. She never planned to remain in Hollywood for so long, as she aspired to become an academic instead. Regardless of her goals, she was dedicated to showing up and delivering her best on set.
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The 48-year-old recalled how people at school figured they watched her on TV and would be curious as to how she balanced work and exams. Although she never planned to return to Hollywood, Anne Marie’s teenage daughter encouraged her to reappear in the 2016 revival, which she agreed.
People were shocked Anne Marie ditched fame for academics
Anne Marie simply wanted to be a mom, have a Ph.D., and become a professor. However, people did not understand why she would ditch the spotlight for that. She was able to blend her experience on Full House with her course in adolescent development to teach and learn using case studies from the show.
She recalled using the fan-favorite sitcom to teach her class about adolescent sexuality, drinking, family, and peers at the University of California, Irvine, where she is an associate professor, among other things. The former actress is married to James Bradford Conley and shares three children.