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Mary-Kate Olsen
From Actress to Fashionista
By Brittany
Mary-Kate at the “Independent Spirit Awards” in February '07. |
The last time Portrait Magazine looked into the life of Mary-Kate Olsen, she was 20 years old. Now, two years have passed and it is time to see what she is up to now.
After starring as an uncredited character in Factory Girl (2006), as mentioned in the previous article, Mary-Kate went on to pick up an 8-episode role in the highly popular television show “Weeds” in 2007. According to an interview about her role as Tara Lindman, she describes the character as “a good Christian girl who really just wants to teach people about the Bible and about her religion, but she has a few twists to her. Tara believes weed is made from God, it’s a part of the earth so for her, she really believes that that’s okay… She’s passionate about teaching and learning, but at the same time she contradicts herself.” “Weeds” airs on Mondays at 10 PM ET/PT, only on Showtime.
Mary-Kate during a photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar in October 2007. |
Following her appearance on “Weeds”, Mary-Kate landed a role in The Wackness, co-starring alongside Sir Ben Kingsley (Schindler’s List [1993], The Love Guru [2008]), Josh Peck (“Drake & Josh” [2004-2007], Drillbit Taylor [2008]), Famke Janssen (X-Men [2000], X2 [2003], X-Men: The Last Stand [2006]), and Olivia Thirlby (United 93 [2006], Juno [2007]).
Mary-Kate and Ashley on the red carpet. |
An IMDb.com contributed says The Wackness sets the scene in “the summer of 1994. The streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop. The newly inaugurated mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, is only beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against crimes like noisy portable radio, graffiti and public drunkenness. The Wackness centers upon a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro (Peck), a teenage dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Kingsley), a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes Luke trade him drugs for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore both New York City and their own depressions. Propelled by an exuberant hip-hop score, The Wackness captures the spell of 1994--a time of pagers, not cell phones [and] a time when Tupac and Biggie were alive, but Kurt Cobain had just died. The Wackness is an offbeat tale of two lost souls stumbling toward maturity.”
At the Sundance Film Festival premiere of The Wackness. |
The Wackness has already been played at three film festivals this year, but is set to have a limited theatre release in the U.S. in July and will open in the U.K. in August.
For the past year, Mary-Kate and her twin sister Ashley have been hard at work writing a book, Influence, for young readers. The Huffington Post, an internet newspaper, says that “Influence, introduces readers to respected artists, seasoned designers and others who have influenced Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen over the past decade. The book will feature influential figures including; Christian Louboutin, Lauren Hutton, Bob Colacello, Terry Richardson, Jack Pierson, and Robert Lee Morris.” These people, according to Mary-Kate and Ashley, are “the most interesting,
Mary-Kate and Ashley at the Teen Vogue Cover Party in February 2007. |
challenging, creative people we know — the ones who helped pave the way for us and our generation. [We] interviewed the people who have inspired us, with the hope that they will inspire and teach others.” The girls hosted a cocktail reception last month in L.A. with some of the top book sellers in the country like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Borders, to name a few. The book will hit shelves in the U.S. in October.
As many fans already know, Mary-Kate co-designs the sophisticated line The Row with her sister, but as they launched The Row’s holiday collection last year they also launched their new contemporary line Elizabeth and James (named after their older brother and younger sister) which is available at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf
Mary-Kate out and about. |
Goodman and Intermix stores and online. The girls design for both the lines while collaborating with designer Jane Siskin on Elizabeth and James, but as the two lines have successfully grown, Ashley has taken a more dominant stride in The Row, while Mary-Kate has become more present in Elizabeth and James. Along with the launch of the new line, on the aforementioned blog, they hosted three contests to give away dresses from the Spring 2008 line in May.
Mary-Kate on the cover of the July 2008 issue of Elle magazine. |
“On the set or off, in business, in fashion, and in life, Mary-Kate Olsen seems to float effortlessly above the craziness.” This is the byline of the story about Mary-Kate in the July 2008 issue of Elle magazine, which also features Mary-Kate on the cover. Elle also reports that Kingsley was captivated by her stating, “she was a joy to work with…An utter professional. There was a liquid like quality to her character that Mary-Kate innately has, as well. Not mercurial, exactly, but lovelier than that. Yes, liquid is the word I’m looking for.” The story delves deeper into her love for fashion and her business relationship with her sister. To read the story, visit Elle.com or pick up a copy at your local newsstand now.
What is next for Mary-Kate? She can only go up from here. May the best of luck come to her as she and her sister set out for new heights in new ways.
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