If you watched television in the ’90s, you probably remember the Tanner household. Danny Tanner cleaning everything in sight. Uncle Jesse fixing his hair. And somewhere in the background, stirring up trouble for Stephanie Tanner, there was Marla Sokoloff’s Gia – the sarcastic best friend with the permanent eye roll and zero interest in playing nice.
Sokoloff first appeared on Full House in the late ’90s as Gia Mahan, Stephanie’s rebellious friend. Fans loved her because she didn’t act like the rest of the squeaky-clean characters. She pushed back, caused drama, and made Stephanie question a few life choices. Decades later, people still remember her for it.
Sokoloff landed that role early in her career after moving to Los Angeles as a teenager. Her mother gave her one month to audition during pilot season to see if acting could actually work. Two weeks in, she booked Full House. That’s really not a bad start for someone still figuring out the business.
Her résumé didn’t stop there. Over the years, she popped up everywhere on television. Party of Five fans remember her as Jody. Legal drama viewers spent six seasons watching her as Lucy Hatcher on The Practice. She also showed up on shows like Boy Meets World and 7th Heaven. If you watched TV between 1995 and 2005, chances are you saw her at least once without realizing it.
Film audiences caught her in early 2000s comedies too. She played Wilma in Dude, Where’s My Car alongside Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott. She also appeared in Sugar & Spice with Mena Suvari and Marley Shelton. Looking back on her career, she admits picking a favorite role isn’t easy.
“That’s a tough one! I truly look back on all of those experiences with such extreme fondness. I would say that The Practice was the most memorable because it was so many years of my life. And Full House because it was such a pivotal moment in my career.”
And yes, she returned years later for Fuller House on Netflix, which meant walking back onto the same stage where she filmed in the ’90s. “Surreal! It was a real moment walking back onto that stage and seeing the sets and the cast. Even after multiple episodes into it, my mind was blown.”
While many actors stick strictly to performing, Sokoloff eventually moved behind the camera. Around 2017, she started shadowing directors to learn how productions actually run. That experience led to her directorial debut with Preschool in L.A. and eventually to directing the Lifetime holiday film Christmas Hotel starring Tatyana Ali in 2019.
“I love creating and I love acting, but something was missing for me,” she said about the shift. “The second I started shadowing directors and creating my own content, I knew that was what I needed to focus on.”
She didn’t abandon acting though. In fact, she recently added another job to the list: writer.
Her 2024 Netflix film The Merry Gentleman stars Britt Robertson and Chad Michael Murray. Sokoloff not only appeared in the movie as Robertson’s character’s sister, Marie, she also wrote the script. The story centers on a former big-city dancer trying to save her parents’ struggling performing arts venue by staging an all-male Christmas revue. Yes, that means plenty of dancing. And apparently a lot of gym time for the cast.
“They rehearsed for hours on end. I don’t think any of them ate any carbohydrates for months,” Sokoloff joked about the preparation.
Away from film sets, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Deadsy drummer Alex Puro. The couple married in 2009 and now have three daughters: Elliotte, Olive, and Harper.
Motherhood changed how she approaches life and work. She talks openly about wanting her daughters to learn one lesson above all else.
“The first thing I think of is ‘go where the love is.’ Especially having a teenager, the friendship thing gets so tricky… if you’re in a friendship that isn’t making you feel great or a relationship or a job or anything, you just lead with the love.”
That advice applies well beyond high school drama. Even Marla Sokoloff (check out her Instagram) admits she still reminds herself of it.
After more than three decades in Hollywood, she’s still creating. Acting, writing, directing. Not bad for the girl many people still remember as the troublemaker who hung out with Stephanie Tanner. And honestly, Gia would probably approve.
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