They Thought I Was You

On November 21st, 2000, nearly one full year after their cult classic Passport to Paris, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen released their second destination-inspired teen comedy, Our Lips Are Sealed filmed in Sydney, Australia.

Neither Becca nor Lani have revisited this movie since the year it came out. In our memories, this movie was the hippest, wittiest, most alternative, most daring, most ahead-of-its-time movie in the Olsen twins canon. We were sure that we'd rediscover this gem and prove to the world that it has been woefully overlooked in the culture of 00s nostalgia.

But then it was... not quite what we expected. This is absolutely an era where Mary-Kate and Ashley's style and swag was at an iconic, untouchable level. However, this movie struggles to live up to stars' magnetism, and the same writing team that hit a home run in Passport to Paris kept striking out in Our Lips Are Sealed.

So we break down the script, theorize that boys in this movie weren't actually love interests, disagree on scenes that didn't work, and celebrate their style that came to define the fashion trends of 2001 (as Ashley tells us in the DVD extra was completely intentionally).

At the end of the day, this movie is a joyful celebration of fashion, friends, and the down under, and we can't help but love it. After all, it's Mary-Kate and Allie. Ashley. Whatever.

Watch Our Lips Are Sealed here
(courtesy of SimplyOlsen's incredible Instagram bio)

DVD Extras:
Behind the scenes
Bridge walk
Fashion

Find us on Social Media!
Instagram: @theythoughtiwasyou
TikTok: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show

Support the show

On November 9, 1999, Passport to Paris was released on VHS, and changed the meaning of "direct-to-video" movies forever.

At just 13-years old, this was Mary-Kate and Ashley's first feature-length film as executive producers, and with it, they expanded their careers from performers to professional tastemakers, trendsetters, and style icons. For any teen that was obsessed with fashion, falling in love, and exploring the word, this movie was a perfect fantasy. This is why it became one of Mary-Kate and Ashley’s best known direct-to-video films and has continued to stay relevant, even today.

Today, we get into the nitty gritty of why this movie actually works, the complicating factor that Ally & Melanie were kind of mean girls, and the many many many reasons this movie will always have a beloved place in our heart.

Also, we knew this movie was bigger than us, so we called on our Instagram community to send us their Passport to Paris stories, and we share them in our very first "Mail Bag" segment! (Mail Bag is a real term, right?)

Thank you to everyone who sent in messages, and to Mary-Kate and Ashley for making the most perfect movie <3

LINKS:
Becca & Lani in Paris
Mary-Kate and Ashley "book" commercial
Passport to Paris commercial

Find us on Social Media!
Instagram: @theythoughtiwasyou
Also, we're on TikTok now!
TikTok: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Support the show

Hey, you're Brigitte!
Duh, she just said that.
No, THE Brigitte. The supermodel!
No she's not... is she? Are you?
...I'm afraid so.

Talk about international relations! With Becca in Los Angeles and Lani in New York, we were able to Zoom into Italy to talk with the supermodel and the scholar, the very impressive woman, Yvonne Scio (AKA Brigitte from Passport to Paris)!

We were beside ourselves speaking with this incredibly glamorous multi-hyphenate about her experience filming Passport to Paris. She tells us how Mary-Kate and Ashley were precocious fashionistas at 12 years old, shares how nervous she was playing a French supermodel as an Italian actress in an American film, and finally answers our most burning question about this movie: why didn't they go INSIDE any of the French stores in the iconic shopping montage scene?

After moving back to Italy and becoming a mother (her 13-year-old daughter is now a Mary-Kate and Ashley superfan herself 🥺), Yvonne decided to make her own work and is now an accomplished director and producer (links to her work below). We were so incredibly honored for the opportunity to speak with her, and we hope you can feel the inspiration and pure ATTITUDE that we felt recording this interview.

Yvonne's projects:
Magic Moments, a documentary about Roxanne Lowit
Seven Women

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms
Yvonne: @YvonneScio

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show

Welcome to our very first Crossover episode! In Still Got It Podcast, host Celey Schumer revisits childhood-classic films to see if they "still got it," and it seemed only fitting that she would join us to discuss the next project on Mary-Kate and Ashley's timeline, Switching Goals.

(And before you come after us, we know Passport to Paris came out before Switching Goals, but based on their hair length and general maturity, we're pretty sure they filmed Switching Goals first)

And after our exhilarating Two of a Kind marathon from the last two weeks, watching this often overlooked TV family sports film was... interesting. To say the least.

Ok, we hated it. And we took no joy in hating it, but talking through this unfortunately lackluster feature with nostalgia expert Celey helped us swallow this difficult pill of a film. (And helped us appreciate Two of a Kind that much more.)

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Still Got It Podcast: @stillgotitpodcast
Celey: @CeleySchumer
Follow/Subscribe to Still Got It Podcast here

Did you love Switching Goals and want to tell us why? PLEASE email us (genuinely, we need your perspective) at: [email protected]

Support the show

We thought we could be casual about Two of a Kind, but no. This show is anything but casual.

After reviewing the Two of a Kind pilot last week, it became very clear that we needed to rewatch this whole series in its entirety. So that's exactly what we did.

And although the task of watching 22 episodes of television in one week was rather daunting for two women with full-time jobs, every episode brought us immense joy, inspiration and validation as Mary-Kate and Ashley fans and lovers of comedy (except for the episode where Carrie breaks up with a guy for wearing a bra... we'll talk about it).

This episode of our podcast truly could have been four hours long, but out of respect for you, we contained our commentary to an hour and twenty minutes. We might not go over every perfect detail, but we honor every perfect school dance, every tragic locker room vandalism, and every perfectly placed Titanic poster. We may have contained ourselves for this episode, but do not expect us to stop talking about Two of a Kind for a very, VERY long time.

This is our love letter, our declaration of purpose, our appreciation of this one true perfect moment in time... even if we are still torturing ourselves wondering what happened to Pokey Valentine!!

Watch all the episodes of this notoriously hard-to-find show here.

We found these episodes and more in @SimplyOlsen's instagram bio!

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show

On September 25th, 1998, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen returned to the small screen on ABC's coveted TGIF lineup with their brand new sitcom, Two of a Kind.

And it was a big f*cking deal. Not only was this the first time Mary-Kate and Ashley would be starring in a sitcom as two different characters, this was also their first TV appearance since the cancellation Full House, and their debut to mainstream audiences as full-fledged preteen girls.

So in today's episode, we give this premiere episode the full attention that this momentous occasion deserves. We gush over their uber-talented costars Christopher Sieber and Sally Wheeler, puzzle over the name "Pokey Valentine," and reflect on what this TV show meant to us when it aired.

Also, we remind ourselves that generally speaking, pilots aren't great. So we lovingly critique the episode's plot holes and character flaws, while understanding that the show as a whole was so much more than the pilot episode would lead audiences to believe.

So put on your pedal pushers and chunky sandals, flip your baseball cap backwards, and get ready to revisit the magic that was Mary-Kate and Ashley's Two of a Kind.

Watch the Two of a Kind pilot "Putting Two 'n Two Together" here.

Find all the episodes of Two of a Kind in @SimplyOlsen's instagram bio!

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show

In 1998, Mary-Kate and Ashley went on a press tour to promote their return to television on the TGIF lineup in the new sitcom, Two of a Kind.

On today's episode, we're taking a look at how the media approached Mary-Kate and Ashley on this tour as they entered their tweens. Spoiler alert: it ain't great. Even with a mountain of projects to their name, the TV personalities had only one question for the 12 year-old Olsen Twins-- when would they get boyfriends??

We watch and dissect their appearances on Rosie O'Donnell, Regis & Kathie Lee, The View, and Good Morning America. The cringe is plentiful, and so are our reflections of how talking to young girls like this is painful and damaging in oh, so many ways.

And we conclude with a few questions of our own that we would have died to ask Mary-Kate and Ashley in '98 (that have nothing to do with kissing boys).

Interviews we talk about:
Rosie O'Donnell Show
Regis and Kathie Lee
The View
Good Morning America
(will admit that we did not watch the first 1/2 of this interview for our podcast, so start at the timestamp linked above)

Find more videos & amazing resources in @SimplyOlsen's instagram bio!

And don't miss this gem:
All My Children Guest Appearance

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show

We've always said that on this podcast we research, examine, and analyze Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's careers and influence on pop culture. We do NOT recap and review Mary-Kate and Ashley's projects.

...Except when it's necessary. And for Billboard Dad, it's NECESSARY. Although this isn't Mary-Kate and Ashley's first film by a long shot, or their biggest theatrical film that we all know by heart, or even their most successful direct-to-video feature, it IS the movie that started it all. And spoiler alert: we friggin' love it.

So today, we unpack this movie beat by beat (we highly recommend a re-watch, links below). From their iconic outfits, to Ashley's hunk-a-saurus, to changing the way we scramble eggs, to finding the most gorgeous '90s actors, and living in the most epic modern house on a fantasy version of Venice Beach — I'm sorry, but this movie is cool to the Max.

So wax your surfboard, make a sundae with cookie dough ice cream, marshmallow sauce and whipped cream (maybe hold the nuts), and settle in for this very special episode about a goddamn Dualstar classic.

Watch Billboard Dad here:
https://lnk.bio/B4OG
(Thank you @SimplyOlsen!)
Or rent it for $3.99 on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/VoS_cq_0lPA

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show

After the incredible year Mary-Kate and Ashley had in 1995 following the finale of their beloved hit sitcom Full House with starring roles in their successful theatrical film debut It Takes Two, the Olsens twins had Hollywood in the palm of their hand.

So naturally, they followed up these successes by continuing to work with the major networks and studios they spent the full 9 years of their lives cultivating relationships with, right?

NOPE. They spent 1996 and 1997 exclusively working on their scrappy direct-to-video series "The Adventures Of" and "You're Invited," which were completely produced and distributed by their production company, Dualstar Entertainment.

And... we watched them all. No, seriously.

We go over what these videos got right and  very often got wrong. We also talk about the sad transition the girls went through from aspirational, self-sufficient, problem-solving kids, to stereotypically boy-crazy, shopping-obsessed tweens. Finally, we try our best to connect the dots of the Dualstar universe, in which Mary-Kate and Ashley are movies stars, singers, and — most famously — the crime-fighting Trenchcoat Twins.

And honestly? It might be more intricate than the MCU. Just listen.

Watch "The Adventures Of" and "You're Invited" here:
https://lnk.bio/B4OG
(Thank you @SimplyOlsen!)

Find us on Instagram!
Show: @theythoughtiwasyou
Becca: @beccaroth
Lani: @laniharms

Thoughts/questions? Email us at: [email protected]

Support the show