Full House Rejected David Duchovny For Every Lead Role - And He Knows Why

Long before "The X-Files" changed television and turned David Duchovny into a household name, he was a struggling actor trying to make it in Hollywood. Determined to find a breakout role, he auditioned for the parts of Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos), Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier), and Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) on ABC's sitcom "Full House," but it wasn't meant to be. However, even Duchovny knows that he wasn't the best fit for a comedic role during that period of his career.

"I was really bad at that kind of stuff," Duchovny recalled on his Fail Better podcast (via The Hollywood Reporter). "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."

Landing a leading part on one of the funniest sitcoms in television history would have put Duchovny on the map, but at least he went on to do pretty well for himself. Furthermore, he eventually got to star in a pretty successful comedy series years later.

While many "Full House" fans argue that it's more than just another cheesy sitcom, it isn't the type of comedy David Duchovny is known for. On Showtime's "Californication," he plays Hank Moody, a divorced, promiscuous writer who can't stop getting in his own way. The role appealed to the actor, as he wanted to do something different at the time and felt the series stood out from the pack.

"The reason that project was attractive to me at first was because I had been wanting to do comedy. If I was going to go back to television, I didn't want to play a detective or a cop or a law enforcement guy. Certainly wanted to stay away from science fiction. I was longing for the comedy of the '70s," Duchovny recalled in an interview with GQ, noting that he was inspired by actors like Warren Beatty. 

Duchovny added that "Californication" appealed to him, as the comedy is more adult-oriented, as opposed to goofy and childish like other funny shows and movies of its era. Still, it would have been interesting to see the "X-Files" alum show off his comedic chops on a traditional sitcom like "Full House." Hopefully, he'll lend his talents to more comedy shows in the near future.