Hello, guys! It’s Samantha! From becoming famous before they could walk to the struggles
they faced in the public eye, this is what you never knew about Mary-Kate and Ashley
Olsen!
15. Producers
The Olsen twins are most widely recognized for their acting career, which began when
they were just nine months old. But, throughout the years, they began expanding their professional
lives into other areas. They were born on June 13, 1986, and they founded their own
production company, Dualstar, in 1993, making them just seven years old at the time. Mary-Kate
and Ashley produced television shows, films, games, and various other things through Dualstar.
Some of the movies they put out included 1993’s Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, 1999’s
Passport to Paris, and New York Minute from 2004, which was their first theatrical film
since It Takes Two in 1995. Unfortunately, the 2004 feature didn’t do well at the box
office, and Dualstar had issues staying afloat as a result. In 2007, the company became inactive,
and it didn’t resurface until 2013 for a fragrance collection.
14. Parents’ Divorce
Ashley and Mary-Kate haven’t had the easiest lives since they started their careers so
early in Hollywood. One of the most difficult things children often have to deal with is
divorce. The twins’ mom and dad, Jarnette and David, decided to split in 1995. Some
outlets reported that it was a result of Mary-Kate’s and Ashley’s fame. But, it seems pretty
harsh to blame the end of their parents’ relationship on them - they were only nine
years old at the time, after all. Being in the spotlight definitely has an effect on
people, and David and Jarnette probably felt some of the fallout from that. Despite the
stress fame can cause, let’s not forget that their parents are the ones who kickstarted
their daughters’ journeys. Their mom sent in photographs of them when they were babies,
which eventually earned them the role of Michelle Tanner in Full House. Their dad talked about
them back in 1991 during an interview with the Washington Post, stating that they were
talented at utilizing their personalities and were very photogenic. According to David,
Jarnette was the one who pushed Mary-Kate and Ashley into an acting career. He also
stated that they wanted to take the twins out of the show after the first season and
decided against it since they “loved playing Michelle.” Everyone has a different story
to tell, but it’s safe to say that the girls are the only ones who remember how the divorce
affected them.
13. Fraternal & Identical
Just about anyone who sees the Olsen twins would naturally assume that they’re identical
twins - you know, because they look almost exactly alike. So, it’s quite shocking to
find out that Mary-Kate and Ashley are fraternal, not identical. Technically speaking, they’re
fraternal twins that look identical. Are you confused yet? We are.
12. Olivier Sarkozy
For a long time since their days in the limelight, Mary-Kate and Ashley hadn’t talked openly
about very much, including their romantic lives. But, in 2017, the former spoke a little
about her relationship with Olivier Sarkozy, a half-brother to the former French president,
Nicolas Sarkozy. The two tied the knot in 2015 after dating for three years. Mary-Kate
is thirty-two years old, and Sarkozy is fifty; so, there’s an eighteen year age difference
between them, which doesn’t bother the lovebirds at all. During Mary-Kate’s 2017 interview,
she said that she cooks dinner for her husband and two step-kids after getting home from
work and relaxes by riding horses on the weekends.
11. A Night With Johnny
Although Johnny Depp claimed that he was in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis at the
time of this alleged hook-up, the evidence suggests he wasn’t remaining faithful to
his girlfriend. On February 27, 2014, Depp was spotted leaving Ashley’s apartment complex
looking like he didn’t want anyone to see him. Even an office worker said that there
was an email going around to all of the employees that Johnny was using their building to avoid
the paparazzi. Apparently, he was leaving Ashley’s place after a sleepover, as he’d
gotten there in the afternoon the day before. Nothing is really known about the two celebs’
overnighter; but, to each their own assumptions.
10. Growing Up Famous
It makes sense that the Olsen twins would suffer some of the adverse aspects of a lifetime
of fame. As child stars in Hollywood, Mary-Kate and Ashley didn’t get to live the average
life. Most of us don’t start working until we’re in our mid to late teens. But, they’ve
never known a life without work - and unusual work at that. From being iconic as children
to going through serious personal issues on camera, they were never given a chance to
simply be themselves. You might have noticed that the girls don’t exactly make the headlines
very often nowadays, which is the result of their childhood in the limelight. They tend
to try and maintain their privacy as often as possible and aren’t exactly welcoming
of paparazzi and cameras. These two have been through a lot over the years; so, who can
blame them?
9. Hate Acting
As we previously stated, fame can take a toll on anybody, especially if they’ve been internationally
known since infancy. It shouldn’t be overly surprising that Mary-Kate and Ashley didn’t
truly enjoy acting or the notoriety that came with it. Although they had some good times
on the set of Full House, the recognition they received didn’t allow them to live
a normal childhood. Growing up in the spotlight forces children to mature at an accelerated
pace. They became increasingly concerned about their outward appearances and constantly paid
close attention to how people viewed them. During a 2004 interview with Oprah, the hostess
asked them about their alleged eating disorders at the time and even questioned them about
what size clothes they wore, which made Ashley and Mary-Kate obviously uncomfortable. Even
back then, when an audience member asked about their favorite memories from their careers,
the twins didn’t give the extravagant answers you’d expect from two girls with seemingly
glamorous Hollywood lifestyles. They replied that their favorite memory was an ordinary
camping trip they’d had with their friends around that time. It seems that Mary-Kate
and Ashley always wanted a normal life, in which they could enjoy their family and friends
and not worry about all of the attention that celebrities can’t escape.
8. Mary-Kate’s ADD
Since she and her sister seem so focused, especially in more recent interviews, you
might not have guessed that Mary-Kate has ADD. For those who don’t know, ADD, or Attention-Deficit
Disorder, is a condition that makes it difficult for those affected to pay attention. People
who have ADD or ADHD have trouble staying organized, can seem forgetful, and might have
trouble completing tasks. Mary-Kate talked about her ADD diagnosis when she was attending
New York University. She said that she was given extra time to take tests due to the
disorder. Mary-Kate further stated that she has to take more time studying so that she
can understand and analyze the information she’s given.
7. Spencer Pratt
If you’ve watched The Hills, then you probably know about Spencer Pratt, and there’s a
good chance that you don’t like him. Somebody else that can’t possibly be on good terms
with the reality star is Mary-Kate Olsen. The two attended the same high school, and
Pratt decided to live up to his bad reputation after Mary-Kate’s 2008 interview with David
Letterman. During the interview, she spoke about Pratt’s high school years. She said
he used to play for their school’s soccer team and noted that he “doesn’t have a
good temper.” Mary-Kate further stated that he even walked out of a few games. This all
happened around the same time that Spencer leaked a photo of Mary-Kate drunk in high
school and bragged about selling it for fifty thousand dollars. After seeing her interview,
however, Pratt went on a rant, personally attacking Mary-Kate. He called her a “troll”
and said she was the “less cute twin.” Since she has always struggled with her self-image,
these comments must have hurt Mary-Kate. Pratt later apologized, stating that he was sorry
for “getting caught up in trash talking,” but the “soccer stuff” was an emotional
subject for him.
6. Fashion Icons
They used to be famous for acting, but now they’re renowned for their iconic fashion.
Ashley and Mary-Kate established their clothing line in 2006, called The Row. Although simplistic,
the line focuses on detail, quality materials, and a timeless aesthetic. They got the idea
to launch their own brand in 2005, when Ashley tasked herself with making the perfect t-shirt,
testing her design on women of all shapes and sizes. A year later, the sisters had a
seven-piece collection. Their collection was a hit, and Barney’s New York purchased the
entire thing. Nowadays, the twins present their brand at New York Fashion Week annually,
and they’ve made two appearances at Paris Fashion Week so far. You can purchase the
clothing in several stores or online. But, the quality and popularity of their high-fashion
makes it cost a pretty penny. A cotton and wool jacket is upwards of one thousand eight
hundred dollars.
5. Necrosis
It seems that Mary-Kate has gone through a lot throughout her career. She’s certainly
been in the headlines more often than her sister. Another time this happened was in
2016 after a cosmetic surgery that went wrong. Sources reported that the twin got a liquid
facelift, which should have been a simple procedure. Afterward, her face apparently
turned black and bruised and began to swell. The complication Mary-Kate was experiencing
turned out to be necrosis, which is when tissue begins to rot away. It’s often associated
with brown recluse spider bites. Luckily, she got oxygen therapy and made it out with
hardly any scars.
4. Elizabeth Olsen
Although Mary-Kate and Ashley have been iconic from the time they were babies, their sister,
Elizabeth, has made quite a name for herself in the Hollywood industry. She was four years
old when she started acting, and her breakthrough came when she got the role of Scarlet Witch
in the Avengers film series. She also played the character in the Captain America films.
3. Mary-Kate’s Battle
Another issue Mary-Kate dealt with in the mid-2000s was her struggle with anorexia nervosa,
a condition in which somebody restricts their food intake, exhibits an intense desire to
be thin, can be very underweight, and is scared of gaining weight. There were numerous photographs
online and in tabloids in which Mary-Kate’s ribs were visible, and she looked extremely
fragile. Unsurprisingly, rumors about her potential eating disorder and looks began
circulating rapidly. At first, she joked about the accusations and tried to put it off. But,
in 2004, she checked into a treatment facility with the help of her family and therapist.
2. Heath Ledger
Mary-Kate’s struggles have been seemingly continuous throughout her life so far. In
2008, she dealt with something else that caused her to spiral downward: the passing of her
close friend, Heath Ledger. Many people believed that the two had been romantically involved
following the end of his life. Nobody even knew the stars were friends until the awful
news surfaced. But, Mary-Kate was one of the first people to learn about what happened
to Ledger. After his masseuse found his body, she called the twin before even contacting
the emergency line. People magazine later noted that she and Ledger had been “casually
dating.” The cause of Heath’s demise was determined to be a mix of various substances.
DEA officials wanted to speak with Mary-Kate about Ledger, but she refused, stating she
wouldn’t do so without legal immunity. Many people believed that she must have known where
he acquired the substances, but her attorney insisted that she had nothing to do with it.
1. Retirement
They began their careers at an incredibly young age, and they ended their careers at
a young age as well. In 2012, the twins said that they wanted to retire - as actresses,
at least. After some films that didn’t do very well in the box office and their rising
prominence in the fashion industry, they wanted to focus only on the latter. Although many
people were sad to see the Fuller House stars go, it was time Ashley and Mary-Kate exited
the spotlight and took time to pursue their true passions. Years of stardom, scrutiny,
and stress mostly ended with their retirement, and the sisters have been doing better. They
tend to stay far away from the limelight nowadays, and their happiness, business, and success
have grown because of it.
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