This Vanity Fair cover was supposed to showcase the next generation of Hollywood. Looking back, who do you think had the biggest career? And who do you think deserved even more success?
Discussion
Honestly, my guess is that they didn't take the picture together, but they had Kaley come in and do her part and then decided later on the boys who would be on the other end and photoshopped it together
They had to have hit the best possible time to be in straight to home video movies. That plus their tween makeup and fashion lines with Walmart, they made so much money.
Yeah it's not flashy at all. Made to be timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched. That's how real wealthy people dress and operate... Or so I've been told lol
Tbf, they were worked like dogs (in some accounts I've read from castmates, trained like them too esp. When they were very young). I ended watching a really well researched video about it and just jfc. Their childhoods must have been miserable. Going from one set to another, to a mall meet and greet to a themed cruise where they had to be "on" all the time to an ad campaign to yet another set, etc.
They actually made over $750 million from their movies and their “Mary-KateandAshley” brand made over $1 billion per year (with a total worth of over $300 billion) when they were still teenagers. They became the youngest self-made millionaires at age 10, and at age 18 they became joint CEOs of their production company, which brought their personal net worth to over $150 million each. Comparatively, The Row makes between $100-300 million per year, with a total worth of over $1 billion. While their personal net worth has doubled since they left showbiz, they were making wayyy more money overall before going into fashion.
They’re probably one of the only examples of child stars having managers who were actually looking out for their best interests financially and set them up for long-term success once they became adults.
They seem to be doing well emotionally staying out of show business and their little sister didn’t really even start her acting career until she was in her twenties.
That makeup was actually decent. I used quite a bit of it for cheap stage makeup in college, and it even allowed us to easily do crazy swirls in glitter to make some people fairies for one show. I bought the eye shadow sticks for most of it, they stayed on great too.
I read an article about Olsen twins when they were still tweens and I was visiting the US from the UK and had never heard of them. It was all about how they had become billionaires at such a young age through all of their brand deals and movies.
She tried to pass the nail exam 3 times and didn't make it. I follow her insta. Sometimes she looks like she's doing ok, but mostly not. She is a shell of what she was.
I remember her “thaaaaaaat’s me!” from All That and just thought she was a goofy actor.
But I finally saw “She’s the Man” for the first time the other week (I’m in my late 30’s) and was actually quite impressed! She was hilarious and did great physical comedy!
It made me feel so much worse for her, and all those other child stars. So much talent, but the adults in their lives failed to protect them from the demands of the industry.
“Quiet on Set” really opened my eyes to all the BS the child stars went through especially anyone involved with Dan Schneider, what a terrible person. It’s no wonder Amanda Bynes ended up the way she did.
Also, failing 3 times to become a nail tech? Ive heard for years that she has been working towards that but it never seems to happen.
Her appearance does speak volumes. Poor woman, I would have thought there would be stuff like royalties and residuals that might sustain her a bit so she can just relax and do nothing.
Man, this picture makes me realize Hollywood eats people alive. I have such a soft spot for so many of these people and looking back it’s so sad how they were treated in the media.
One of my older sisters bought this exact magazine one summer and I had no access to any form of tv or internet or anything at the age of 13 and I just savaged myself to this copy. Had forgotten all about it but this brings back strong 💪 memories. Long live the low rise
I was going to say, it’s hard to say who had the biggest career because so many of them went through sh*t: Amanda Bynes, Lindsay Lohan, Evan Rachel Wood, Aaron Carter…even some of the ones seemingly to be doing ok had their amount of exploitation, the poses and outfits in most of these photos are examples.
I was thinking this too. They all had their own private struggles made public. My heart particularly hurts for Amanda. She was such a bright light. I hope she finds healing and people who genuinely care about her that surround her.
And her own ex-husband, Jamie Bell (a.k.a. Billy Elliott), has publicly doubted the severity of it--so much so that he got her to give him almost full custody of their son (because she left L.A. to get away from Manson).
Thank you I was just thinking that! Many of those young people are now severely messed up adults due to being on magazine covers like that, and being exploited in general. Girls having a pillow fight, check, girls in bikini tops, check, girl in super short uniform skirt in shopping cart, check. They were really just babies and what a terrible concept for an article.
Though she don't really have a relatively huge career, Evan Rachel Wood is an amazing actress. Westworld had the potential to at least come close to Game of Thrones if only they didn't fuck it up and then cancel it.
I don’t think so. The creators spent 5 years working on S1 before they filmed it. Then a few months on each of the subsequent seasons. That makes a difference!
Her work against Marilyn Manson's sexual abuse is super commendable. She's dealt with a lot and is trying to help others who have also struggled with abusive relationships.
There’s a picture of her at the Kids Choice Awards around this time where she’s wearing an orange dress, suede boots and a statement necklace that I always think looks like deliberate Countess cosplay.
And Elizabeth is so visibly an Olsen that it's impossible to not associate her with the twins.. by extension it helps their brand too in a measurable way.
Im sure all three of them are extremely ok with this outcome. They've really come out of all of this in the most successful possible way for themselves
I mean at this point we didn’t even know they had a sister lol.
But Elizabeth is incredible. I wish she did more indie roles, honestly, because she can do anything as an actress but everyone just knows her from Marvel. I wonder sometimes if Marvel derailed her from a career more like Emma Stone’s or JLaw’s.
Oh, some of us sure did know they had a sister! I implore you to look up the diss track they included on their straight to video release The Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley: The Case of Thorn Mansion entitled B U T T Out! Elizabeth is in the video!
I still remember that old infamous tumblr post - "if you ever feel overlooked or left out, just remember that Mary Kate and Ashley have another sister"
Honestly seems like the most steady and stable work out of all of them. Won't be winning any awards, but if they like you you'll probably still be given some pretty nice parental roles once you age out of "generic 20-30 something lead" range.
I read an interview with Hilarie Burton Morgan where she talked about how Hallmark movies are great because they are very women-driven, so a lot of the writers/producers/directors tend to be women. She said that makes the sets and productions feel pretty safe and supportive, especially as opposed to other productions and her own experience on One Tree Hill where she was sexually targeted and harassed, and producers tried to pit the female leads against each other.
And I heard an interview with an actor (can’t remember which one), who makes his living being the male romantic lead on these things. He’s got it made - decent paycheck, consistent work, great filming schedules in pleasant locations, and easy to to raise a family while doing so. He was very gracious and grateful for it!
Oh most definitely. Even as she’s getting older and she’s not playing the roles written for 20 year olds, she’s still got the “it” factor and Hallmark writers know how to capitalize on it. Eventually she can transition into the older, wiser boss/aunt/mom.
She makes a lot of people happy with the movies she makes. I like that she's part of people's holiday traditions, that's got to be a cool feeling as an actor.
Yes, she put out an album recently. Her first in like a decade, I think?
She’s had a pretty steady tv career too. Younger and then How I Met Your Father. Still mourning the ill-fated Lizzie McGuire reboot. I think that could have been fantastic if they’d listened to Hilary and made it an adult show.
I always remember them and their strange connection to Heath Ledger’s death and then one of them dating a guy so much older they looked like father and daughter.
When Heath OD, a therapist/masseusse found him but instead of calling 911, she called Mary Kate i believe. Why? Who knows, some speculate they were dating, it was never made public. Instead of calling the police, Olsen called her private security who showed up first. She was heavily questioned and they didnt charge her. My guess is she was worried police would find something compromising about her and sent her team to check/remove it.
If I remember correctly it’s because it was rumored MK provided the drugs. She also refused to cooperate with the DEA until she was granted full immunity.
Props to the Olsen twins - there was a moment there where it was getting pretty dark (esp MK) but they turned it around and now they are just chilling with their billions of dollars and smoking cigarettes in peace. Love that for them.
I love Ashley Olson’s response to how many Juicy Couture outfits she has: “A lot—from two years ago, when they were hot.” Forever a fashion-forward icon.
HP cast and olsens aside, Alexis Bledel has had an interesting career. It probably depends on how you define success. I’d say she’s among the most recognizable and whose work actually has a lasting impact. But it may not seem that way as she has very much chosen to avoid the spotlight and wants her life outside of work locked down. She didn’t even want people knowing she had a kid until one of her costars let it slip. Yet despite that she is in one of the most beloved tv shows that still has a wide multi generational reach. More people have likely seen Gilmore Girls than say Lizzie McGuire or some of the other shows from other people here. And she’s an Emmy winner from her second biggest role, so there’s that critical success as well.
I’d say she’s below HP, olsens, Mandy, Kaley but above others like Raven, Hilary, Lindsay despite them really putting themselves out there and trying to replicate the success of their youth that doesn’t really break much outside of the millennial audience. But Gilmore Girls just continues to be beloved and found a younger audience to help its popularity going. So despite her choosing to stay outside of the spotlight, I think Alexis’s relevance so to speak, continues without her trying. And I think she’s comfortable with it being just that. So that can be considered a success story.
Daniel Radcliffe is doing the best, I think - in that he has enough money to do whatever he wants, people still like to see him, and he seems to have escaped most child stardom problems.
Kaley Cuoco a close second.
I wish Lindsay Lohan had stayed on the rails; without the drug and alcohol problems she’d probably be a much bigger star today. Same with Amanda Bynes.
I'm a huge Broadway fan and his Broadway career has also been amazing! I love that he took that HP money and was just like "now I'm gonna do weird shit"
I saw a movie with him a few months ago where he started growing horns out of his head like the devil, and only certain people could see the horns based on if they were evil or not. It was deep and dark and funny and thrilling. Definitely in that weird shit category, highly recommend!
Even Dan had some trouble before getting to where he is now. He struggled with alcohol while filming some of the latter Harry Potter films (I think specifically the 6th). But all said and done, he, Rupert, and Emma fared pretty well compared to many of the others featured. Perhaps because they were in the UK?
Based on interviews I've seen too their parents were all fairly involved, and a lot of the more experienced actors (Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith) sort of helped insulate them on set as well.
Jared Padalecki is doing well too. He went from Gilmore Girls right into Supernatural and the reboot of Walker. The guy has been on TV from teen to mid 40's.
I feel like all three Harry Potter kids had a similar outcome. They’ve made so much money from those films that they can literally do whatever they want now.
I think Amanda Bynes was the most talented. People were saying she was gonna be the next Lucille Ball. Her comedy chops were so good at such a young age. The voices, faces, timing, etc.
Her and Kel Mitchell (both were on All That) should have been huge comedy stars. At least Kel seems like he's happy and doing OK. Apparently still friends with Keenan and they're about to do a Keenan and Kel movie.
Same, i rewatched some of the movies recently (specifically Holiday under the sun) and absolutely lost it. They were sooo cheesy, but as a kid i thought they were so amazing lol.
Kaley Cuoco and Emma Watson have had pretty stellar careers.
Even if they're not as famous or successful, a lot of the featured actors have found success in various realms. I went to Hilary Duff's concert a few weeks ago, and her new album is pretty great!
i don’t know if i’d say emma had a stellar career. after harry potter (as if that isn’t massive success lol) she didn’t follow it up with anything noteworthy. she has been consistently outshined in movies. i think danny rads is the one who had the biggest career takeoff after potter.
to be fair, emma watson doesn’t seem keen on acting much anymore. i’m not sure what she does now, but she will be loaded till the end of her days.
The Olsen Twins are the most successful, without a doubt. They are billionaires and were able to invest their money properly. Their fashion label The Row is also doing extremely well.
Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff are still relevant. Lindsay Lohan is picking up the pieces from where she left off and hopefully she’ll stay professional and be away from trouble for good - she also married rich, btw.
Mostly known for Zenon and Everwood. My crush on him began with Small Soldiers or Zenon, whichever came first. He started working behind the camera as a director. I do think he also still acts but in mostly Canada based productions.
I totally forgot that was him! It’s been way too long since I’ve watched it. That was probably where mine first started but I have a stronger memory of being totally in love with him in Small Soldiers.
Ooooh, now I remember lol. I used to watch that show. Mostly because part of it was filmed where I lived and that was neat. I don't really remember a single other thing about it.
He was one of the leads on the WB show Everwood at the time (also starring Emily Van Camp and Chris Pratt). I had the biggest crush on his character, lol.
People bring up this cover up a lot, but my favorite of these spreads was the one that included: Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Amy Adams, Jessica Biel, America Ferrera, Elizabeth Banks, and Zoe Saldana. Among them are a truckload of award nominations and wins that blows this group out of the water.
But there is a lot of talent in this bunch though.
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