Alicia “Al” Lambert was meant to be a smaller role in Step by Step. She was only the younger, quieter sister in the family. But the more that audiences saw of 12-year-old Christine Lakin, the more airtime she got. Soon, there were entire storylines and arcs worked around Al. But why didn’t Lakin continue climbing the Hollywood ladder after the show ended? Well, because she had other plans for her life.
Christine Lakin had already been working in commercials, TV movies and theatre by the time sitcom life on Step by Step rolled around. But her role both on and off screen on the show clicked perfect. She loved being part of TV’s perfect blended family. “We all had such a great experience… they were wonderful producers. They were TV legends,” Lakin recalled years later on the Full House Rewind podcast.
As we know, Step by Step ultimately ran 160 episodes before it ended in June 1998 (and that was after a network jump from ABC to CBS). By the time she hit 20, the lights had faded, and the young actress found herself in that very awkward “what now?” phase of every child star’s life.
But then she pivoted. She went from being in front of the camera to being behind it. It started with choreography in a Los Angeles theatre group. Then one gig led to another and another and another. Suddenly she was working on some of the biggest shows, including 90210, True Blood, and Westworld.
“I kept saying yes,” she said, almost surprised by how it all unfolded. She had found her lane. And she stuck to it.
Lakin’s life shifted again with motherhood. And it was around that time she realised she preferred being a cinematographer and a director. “I think I like being behind the camera more than I even like being in front of it,” she admitted. So she began directing.
Since then, she’s directed plenty of episodes of The Goldbergs, its spin-off Schooled, and even High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.
Behind the scenes, her life was pretty normal too. As normal as you’d expect from someone who was once on one of the biggest shows in the world. She married actor Brandon Breault in 2014 and they have two children.
If you see her around today, you’ll still see that classic Al Lambert style she was known for – Dodgers cap, Birkenstocks and very little makeup. Isn’t it amazing how some child actors still carry their characters all these years later?
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