Mary-Kate Olsen insists she will not smile for the paparazzi

By The Canadian Press
Thursday, September 6, 2007





NEW YORK (AP) - There is a reason that Mary-Kate Olsen looks so depressed in her photos splashed across the tabloids.

"I don’t want my picture taken," the 21-year-old actress tells Entertainment Weekly magazine. "The only time I think it’s OK is at a red-carpet event or a photo shoot. "So every time I see paparazzi, I cover my face so they don’t get a picture, and I’m just ’the mean person who doesn’t smile.’ "

Olsen, whose waiflike figure has made her a target of media scrutiny, avoids public displays of attention.

"I would love to be able to swim in the ocean in Malibu," she says. "But that is asking for a bikini shot. That’s inviting something that I don’t want to happen. I don’t need to be on a ’Who’s Skinny, Who’s Fat, Who’s Looking Healthy, Who’s Not Eating?’ list."



After a hiatus from acting, Olsen - who rose to fame on TV’s "Full House" in a shared role with twin sister Ashley - will portray an alluring Christian girl on Showtime’s "Weeds." Her 10-episode arc begins Sept. 17.

She also returns to the big screen in "The Wackness," co-starring Ben Kingsley. The film is slated for release next year.

"There’s definitely been times in my life when I just turned to people and said, ’I’m done, this is too much for me, this is too overwhelming,’ " Olsen says.

She is in a healthy frame of mind these days.

"Mentally, physically, I feel pretty on top of my game right now," Olsen says. "Talk to me next week, I don’t know. Today, I feel good."