The End of the Olsen Twins - Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Doing Separate Things

Ever since they were cast as the lovable Michelle Tanner on the popular 1980s sitcom, Full House, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, have been America's favorite twins. Worth an estimated one hundred million dollars, the twins have turned former child stardom into a veritable gold mine. Together, they have led their Dualstar Entertainment Group to over one billion dollars in sales yearly, with products for the tween set, such as hair care accessories, videos, and clothing. With such incredible collective success, it wouldn't be surprising if the twins never split up, but, for the first time, since their careers took off, they are about to diverge.

Mary-Kate Olsen has just landed her first major part on a popular television series without her other half. The Emmy-darling and cable network favorite, Weeds, has picked up the young actress to play opposite Mary-Louise Parker in approximately ten episodes of the upcoming season. Mary-Kate will play Tara, a god-loving teenager who will become the love interest for Silas, the son of main character Nancy Botwin, who is played by Parker.

Fans of Mary-Kate Olsen might be surprised to see her branching out into the role on Weeds. Far from her family sitcom roots, Mary-Kate will find herself living in Majestic, a religious community near the fictional town of Agrestic, California, and interacting with Parker's weed-selling suburban mother and the other drama-inspiring characters of Agrestic. Though it may be hard for the children of the 80s who grew up with Mary-Kate as the cute and lovable Michelle Tanner to imagine her in such a mature setting, the producers are convinced that they have cast the right person for the role in Mary-Kate.

It might even be surprising to some that Mary-Kate, whose battles with anorexia have been widely and regularly reported in the media, and who dropped out of New York University not long after enrolling in the school, is the first Olsen sister to take on a solo project. Ashley, however, seems true to her educational pursuits, and is still attending NYU.

Does this separation of careers mean an end to the Olsen twins' empire? While it may mean an end to their stream of direct-to-video features, such as Holiday in the Sun and When in Rome, and box office flops, such as It Takes Two and New York Minute, it's doubtful it is the end of the twins. Should their acting careers go their separate ways; these sisters still have a billion-dollar conglomerate to run.