Full House' Creator Details One ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Moment with the Olsen Twins He Will Never Forget

Long before they became fashion moguls, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen pulled off something their own director still calls a miracle — and he was watching it happen in real time, one year old and already stealing the scene.

“Full House” creator Jeff Franklin has a very vivid memory about how great the Olsen twins were at such a young age.

Franklin recently recounted to People an episode he directed where Uncle Jesse (played by John Stamos) pretended to be an Elvis impersonator. But it was Ashley Olsen — around a year old at the time — whose performance in that episode left him stunned.

Ashley Olsen (left) and her twin sister, Mary Kate, both playing Michelle Tanner, on season 1 of "Full House" in 1988 | Source: Getty Images

“It went to entirely another level,” Franklin said of the twins’ acting abilities. “For the first time, we had an Olsen twin playing a scene that went on for minutes, and they hit all their cues, played the scene, never looked at the camera, never looked up at the boom, never looked at the audience, stayed in character, hit every joke.”

Franklin called it “insane,” adding, “It was actually the last show of season one, and I’ll just never forget it. It was just miraculous.” He wondered how it was possible for such young performers to charm the audience and hit the jokes on cue. “It was just jaw-dropping,” he said.

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen during a photo shoot in April 1988 | Source: Getty Images

Ashley and her twin sister, Mary-Kate Olsen, took turns playing Michelle Tanner for all eight seasons, then walked away from acting almost entirely to build a career in fashion. They launched their fashion labels, The Row and Elizabeth and James, in the mid-2000s.

When the "Full House" spinoff, "Fuller House," came about, the twins opted not to join the reboot. Stamos later admitted on a podcast that he was "angry for a minute" about the decision. But in a 2023 appearance on "Live with Kelly and Mark," he struck a warmer note, saying, "I love them dearly and they've done so well. I'm so proud of them."

Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron Bure (below), Jodie Sweetin, Bob Saget, Mary-Kate/Ashley Olsen, John Stamos for "Full House" on May 9, 1988 | Source: Getty Images

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Meanwhile, Jodie Sweetin, who played Stephanie Tanner, and Andrea Barber, who portrayed Kimmy Gibbler, have said the twins had different temperaments early on. They described Mary-Kate as more resistant to certain tasks and Ashley as the more easygoing one about the work.