Of course, they’re still only 14 and subject to child-labor laws. So in the interest of keeping the girls as efficient as possible, this interview was conducted via e-mail. This way, “it doesn’t add to their work hours,” explains their publicist. “They will get the answers in as snippets of time become available during the allotted work time over the next few days.” And the girls made their deadline. Thanks, Mary-Kate and Ashley! :-)
You just had a week off in Hawaii. How often do you get to go on vacation?
Ashley: Hawaii is amazing for spring break! Mostly we hung out on the beach with our friends and family, did water sports and just relaxed. We go on vacation a few times a year, like most people.
How did the idea for the magazine come up?
Mary-Kate: So many magazines for girls our age are about boy bands and lipstick. Which is fine, we have that, too, but there is more going on in kids’ lives.
You’ve said the magazine will have everything from fashion to investing advice. Ashley, I believe I read an interview in which you said that other teen magazines can make girls feel ugly.
Ashley: The whole idea is to feel good about who you are, and that is really about feeling beautiful on the inside. A lot of the images that you see hyped in the press are just not real, so we didn’t want to add to that.
How involved will you be in shaping the magazine?
Mary-Kate: We are very involved in the magazine. We decide on the stories and pictures we want to include and not include for each issue. We also have a great team that help put it together.
You’ve been on TV since you were infants. Has it ever been hard to feel like normal kids?
Mary-Kate: We get asked this all the time. Really, we don’t know anything different. We just look at it as having the best of both worlds. We live a totally normal life most of the time going to school, to the movies and being with our friends, but we also get to do really cool things some other times. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
Are your mom and dad strict? Do you have chores at home?
Ashley: We have to do chores just like everyone else. Our dad trusts us to do the right thing, so we wouldn’t say he’s strict, but we know we’re not going to get away with anything either!
Do you have boyfriends?
Mary-Kate: We don’t really have boyfriends right now. Mostly we just hang out with a group of close friends, girls and guys.
What are your hobbies?
Ashley: Mary-Kate is a great horseback rider. She has a horse and pony that she rides whenever she has free time. I’m into dancing, mostly.
What do you want to do with the rest of your life? Act? What about directing? Why does it appeal to you?
Ashley: For right now, we are still into acting. It’s so much fun playing the characters on our new TV series [“So Little Time”] and we can’t wait for people to see it this June! We are also looking forward to going to college in a few years. Maybe we will direct in the future.
Who are your favorite musicians and why? Actors? Directors?
Mary-Kate: We both are into Counting Crows, Ben Harper and Dave Matthews. Lots of people. We went to a Counting Crows show last year and got to dance on the side of the stage. It was amazing! For actors: Brad Pitt is great. The whole cast of “Friends.” That’s probably our favorite show.
Your parents got divorced recently. Have you thought about creating a book or movie that tackles that theme?
Mary-Kate: Actually, our parents in the new TV show are separated, so it does come up there. But the relationship is friendly, same as in real life for us.
What do you think about the troubles many child stars confront?
Ashley: We don’t really see that side of it. You know, people can live how ever they want. We are really happy with the choices we make.
Is it ever hard for your friends to deal with your fame?
Mary-Kate: It’s not really that crazy. Only when we are traveling for a film or some promotional appearance. I remember last year, we did an appearance at Mall of America and like 20,000 kids showed up. I looked at Ashley like, “Huh?”
Are you afraid of being overexposed? That people will tire of you? Have you ever had to deal with any scary fans?
Ashley: We never really think about things like that. We just do what we do. All of our fans and the people we meet have been really nice. No horror stories.
You two are worth a lot of money. Do you try not to think about it too much? Do you ever worry that people are interested in using you to make money or get money?
Mary-Kate: We never think about the money because we never do anything just for money. The people around us have been working with us way before all the “brand” stuff happened, so we know they are committed to us more than anything else.
What’s next for you two? How do you want your magazine to develop?
Mary-Kate: Right now we want to finish up our new TV series. We have an animated series coming to ABC in the fall and a new season of clothes to work on. Not to mention finals at school. The magazine is doing great, and we hope to continue to do more great stories. We are planning one on gun violence in schools. We are going to talk with kids who were hurt at Columbine for the next issue, in fact.
You’ve recently been trying to steer people away from calling you the Olsen twins. Why do you prefer being known as Mary-Kate and Ashley?
Ashley: Because we have names! We never called ourselves “The Olsen Twins.” That was something the press made up when we were little. We’re not little anymore.
