The Olsens’ secret life
Why the grown-up twins shun the spotlight
The offer is on the table. Should Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen ever decide they want to revisit their time on FullHouse, the show that catapulted them to fame as precocious six-month-olds in 1987, series creator Jeff Franklin is ready.
When promoting his Netflix reboot FullerHouse, Jeff said, “When somebody rings a doorbell, the girls yell, ‘It’s always open!’ So that’s kind of how we feel about the Olsen twins – the door is open.”
But after three straight years of being told no – Ashley immediately said she no longer feels comfortable acting, while Mary-Kate cited timing issues – “I’ve stopped asking,” admits Jeff. “Really, I kind of gave up.”
Smart move. The 31year-old former child stars abdicated their Hollywood throne some 13 years ago. After building a billiondollar empire marketing
everything from branded toothpaste to Barbie dolls and an endless line of direct-to-video films, they stepped off camera following their last joint venture, the 2004 flop NewYorkMinute.
These days, says a close source, the sisters “spend all of their time” working on their fashion lines, luxury label The Row, and the more contemporary brand Elizabeth and James – and they marvel at their old lives.
“I look at old photos of me and I don’t feel connected to them at all,” Mary-Kate confesses, while Ashley remarks that as pint-sized actors, they looked “like cute little chimpanzees”.
Hidingout
Shaken by an adolescence spent in the spotlight, the innovative and acclaimed designers have intentionally retreated from the public eye. Neither has opened a Facebook or Instagram account – “We don’t dive into that world. We’ve