Why The Olsen Twins Made A Big Change After Full House
Depending on your age, the Olsen twins might be Michelle Tanner from Full House, the tween stars of a multitude of eminently watchable TV shows and movies, or fashion mavens ruling over their own self-made empire. The diminutive sisters have lived several different lives thanks to the fact they started working incredibly young. It makes sense, then, that the Olsens would change careers at least once, if not several times, once they grew up and discovered their passion in life.
The beloved sisters notably didn't return for the Full House reunion/reboot, Fuller House, solidifying that Mary-Kate and Ashley were done with Michelle, and indeed acting, for good. Although their careers didn't immediately halt when the beloved sitcom ended in 1995, it was a major turning point for the Olsen twins. In fact, although it would take another 20 years for them to branch out and put their attentions elsewhere, once they were out, the Olsens were done for good.
The famous sisters realized their passion was not in acting
The post-Full House years were filled with roles for Mary-Kate and Ashley, (via IMDb and IMDb), predominantly in their own self-made films, including bonafide classics like Passport to Paris and Holiday in the Sun, which were courtesy of their own production company, Dualstar Entertainment Group. The twins formed Dualstar at just six years old and, although it was utilized chiefly to generate content for them to appear in, it was through working behind the scenes that the Olsens realized their passion lay elsewhere. In 2014, they confirmed their retirement from acting, with Mary-Kate admitting in an interview with Women's Wear Daily via In Touch Weekly, "With what we were doing in business when we were younger, I don't think it ever felt like we were actresses."
The sisters explained that their focus was always on building their brand, rather than working on their craft, meaning the Olsens always felt like businesswomen rather than performers. They had a strong work ethic too, which naturally led to the twins being cast on Full House at the age of just nine months. Thankfully, moving into the fashion industry has paid off for them in a big way. Their highly sought-after label, The Row, won the 2019 CFDA Award for Accessory Designer of the Year for the third time (the Olsens nabbed the gong in 2014 and 2018 too). They also won Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2012 and 2015, as per Women's Wear Daily.