Mary-Kate & Ashley Interview from wnbc.com

[musicradio77]

Here's is an article from the website www.wnbc.com :

Interview: Mary-Kate & Ashley
Olsen Sisters Make Big Time for Big Screen With "New York Minute"
By: TIM LAMMERS

They've been in the public eye sinc ethey were 9 months old, sharing the role for nearly 9 years on the sitcom "Full House" and simultaneously created a dynasty in the merchandising and home video markets as the youngest Hollywood producers ever.

Yet for all Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen have accomplished, never on their slate was a feature film they could call their own.

That is, until now: and what a better place to start than in the Big Apple for their first big feature? The 17-year-old sisters explained to me in a recent @ The Movies interview why now was the right time to make the leap to the big screen.

"We were looking for a script for a pretty long time -- when we came across "New York Minute", we thought it was a good starting point for us to do different characters," Ashley told me in a recent @ The Movies interview. "We really wanted to make a movie where everyone could relate to it and enjoy it in some sort of way. I think that was the main goal and I think we accomplished it pretty well."

Mary-Kate & Ashley play Roxy and Jane yan, respectively, twin sisters whose personalities couldn't be any further apart. Roxy is a free-spirited rock-n-roll girl who drums for a band looking for a record deal at a Simple Plan concert in Manhattan; while the compulsively organized Jane is preparing to give a major speech at Columbia University as part of a competition for a prestigious scholarship at Oxford.

Distant from each other most of their lives after the death of their mother, the sisters are forced to form an alliance and work together in New York with each other to get out of a mess sparked by a mix-up involving Jane's day planner (which holds her speech) and a computer chip that could revolutionize the piracy of music and movies. Complaining matters ia an over-zealous truant officer (Eugene Levy), who tracks Roxy in hopes of busting her for skipping school. But, of course, since the action is taking place in New York, anything could happen -- and it does.

"I think the whole idea more than anything we wanted was that anything could happen in a second or a minute and your life could change," Ashley said. "And since the saying is 'In a New York Minute,' it only made sense to do it New York."

Although the film wasn't entirely shot in New York City, Mary-Kate & Ashley -- the producers -- ensured that the "New York Minute" caught th authenticity of the city with its sights, sounds and diverse culture. They knew they snagged the essence of the megalopolis after a strategically shot scene in the heart of the city that found them caught up in the bustling atmosphere.

"When we were shooting the scene with only our towels on Times Square, people didn't even notice that there were cameras there -- we were just thrown in there to get a reaction from people," Ashley said. "People were wondering, 'What are these girls doing here?' It was definitely an experience working in New York."

While the Olsens have graduated onto making a full-scale feature film, they haven't forgotten their roots with "New York Minute". A cameo appearence by one of their "Full House" co-stars is enough to tell you that the series is still near and dear to their hearts.

"That was our childhood -- we were with the cast every single day and that's really all we knew," Mary-ate said. "We still keep in touch with everyone and have dinners with each other. It's just nice get together and laugh and now understand the jokes that they were saying when we were younger which were way above our heads."

Needless to say, they got the jokes right away with "New York Minute" and they had such established funnymen as Levy, Andy Richter and Darrell Hammond to help deliver them, too boot. Oddly enough, though, the sisters said that they found it was hardest to keep a straight face in front of each other rather than the comedians.

"Ashley and I always are like that," Mary-Kate told me. "That's the great thing about working with your sister -- you know each other so well that you know what each other is thinking all the time. We made ourselves laugh with each other more than anyone else could make us laugh."

While the movie afforded Mary-Kate & Ashley the time to laugh, it also gave them time for serious reflection on their sisterly bond. In the end, they said, "New York Minute" is a movie that can inform as much as it entertains.

"In doing this movie, people have asked what family is to us and about our relationship with each other," Mary-Kate said. "Ashley and I are very different in some ways and very similar in others. What we had in the movie that our characters in the movie didn't have was an understanding and respect for each other. Once you understand and respect to each other, it's OK that you disagree and do things differently."