Ashley Olsen Retires From Acting to Focus on Fashion
Ashley Olsen, only 25, has announced her intent to retire from acting; she is one-half of the popular twin set known jointly as Mary-Kate and Ashley.
Olsen and her sister have been in the acting business since they were nine months old, alternately playing the role of Michelle Tanner on the family series "Full House," which aired for eight years. America fell in love with the duo, and they capitalized on their popularity to launch their own movies.
In 1995 they took a break from doing their own movies to star in "It Takes Two" and 2004's "New York Minute." Olsen attended New York University for a few months before going to California. Now, Olsen has announced that she will not return to the big screen, or any screen.
"I've done that, but now it's important and liberating to be on the other side of the lens. I don't like to be the center of attention anymore," she told Elle U.K.
Olsen will focus on the twins' numerous clothing lines: The Row, Elizabeth and James, and Olsenboye.
"We are perfectionists. We've always wanted to be closely involved with everything, totally hands-on-that's why it works. If we step away, it stops working. I know it sounds controlling, but that's how it has to be," said the twin.
Given that Olsen has worked in film for nearly her entire life, it only makes sense that she would need a break. She joins fellow star Amanda Bynes, who also worked during her youth, in retirement. Bynes told fans via Twitter: "I don't love acting anymore so I've stopped doing it."
However, Bynes later told People magazine, "I really just needed some time off. I've been acting since I was seven, and I'm 25 now. So it's not retiring so much; it's just taking some time off."
She has not appeared on TV or in films since her "retirement" but has spent time on a fashion line.
Only time will tell whether Olsen's story will be different and whether she will be content working on the clothing lines. Her sisters, Mary-Kate and Elizabeth both remain active in the entertainment industry. Elizabeth made her debut in the smash "Martha Marcy May Marlene."
"We're attracted to different things," Ashley told Elle about her relationship with Mary-Kate, "but we arrive at the same place. I think we're probably unaware of how intuitive it might seem from the outside. It's basically one thought process shared between two people."
