Full House remains a highly popular sitcom even more than 30 years after the conclusion of its eight-season run. The beloved TGIF comedy has been kept alive in part due to members of the cast and crew sharing cool behind-the-scenes tidbits about making it. Something I’ve long wondered has to do with Michelle actresses Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I never knew how it was decided which twin would film a specific scene. Well, thanks to two of the Olsens’ co-stars, I now have some much-needed clarification.
So much has been said about the Olsen twins’ time on Full House, including the fact that Uncle Jesse actor John Stamos nearly got them fired early on due to their constant crying. So it’s wild to think that I’m only now just getting a sense of how they were selected for scenes. The answer came from series alums Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber during an episode of the How Rude, Tanneritos! rewatch podcast. Sweetin recalled squabbles between the twins over wanting to do certain scenes and how that was handled:
When they were little, it was the ice cream scenes that they would always squabble over, because they both wanted to do it and so they’d have to trade off, [like] ‘You can do it this time, and you can do it this time.’
Overall, it sounds like a little negotiating had to be done from time to time, depending on what was being filmed. (And, honestly, I can understand the girls’ eagerness to do ice cream scenes.) It’s interesting to think about having to manage such details on a show featuring twins, especially ones so young. Helping to solve those issues was Adria Later, who served as a teacher and acting coach to Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen. Barber said this of how Later would handle a disagreement over an ice cream scene or one similar:
I’m sure Adria made it fair. She was really good about making it fair.
Throughout Full House’s eight seasons, Michelle has memorable experiences, and one of those actually prompted the discussion on the rewatch podcast. Sweetin (who played Stephanie Tanner) and Barber (who played Kimmy Gibbler) recalled filming the two-part Season 6 episode, “The House Meets the Mouse,” which sees the Tanners and co. heading to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World. There’s a scene in which Michelle gets to take part in a princess float, and Barber theorized about Later’s handling of all that:
So I’m sure there was something equivalent that [Adria] offered the other twin that didn’t ride in the float. I’m sure there was something. I don’t know how they decided who gets to go.
It can’t be said for sure just how that particular scene was settled upon. However, Sweetin did bring up one interesting point about the float scene:
Well, they were old enough to, because we had to have costumes made and all that kind of stuff. So, you know, it was a decision that was made a little ahead of time.
Conversely, during the period of the show in which the Olsens were still little, the producers apparently had a preferred twin to work with. Sweetin revealed during a previous episode of the podcast that Mary-Kate apparently didn’t like being on set, while Ashley was “much more docile.” However, as Sweetin also explained, the twins’ cooperation could shift depending on the scene being done.
These BTS facts just shed more light on the intricacies of producing one of the most popular sitcoms of the ‘90s. If anything, I’d love to hear Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen themselves talk about what they can remember from their experiences, as Jodie Sweetin and co. can only field questions about them. Of course, the two sisters – who’ve found massive success in the fashion industry – prefer their privacy, which I can certainly respect. If anything, I’m just pleased to have this latest bit of information on their time sharing the role of Michelle.
Check out the Olsens’ work in Full House by streaming all eight seasons using a Hulu subscription.
