Local brothers follow in the footsteps of the Olsen twins




Dylan and Cole Sprouse

Dylan and Cole Sprouse


First there were the Olsen twins. Now, there are the Sprouse twins. Why should girls have all the fun?

Calabasas twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse, 13, have been in the entertainment industry since they were six months old and just recently signed with the Olsen twins’ company, Dualstar Entertainment, to follow in the footsteps of Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, the young movie and merchandising moguls. Expect to see Sprouse twins movies, CDs, surfboards, snowboards, apparel and other merchandise.

“This isn’t just about clothing,” said the Sprouses’ manager, Josh Werkman, who lives in Agoura Hills. “It’s about lifestyle, it’s about products . . . One of the big reasons for the launch of this platform is that there’s nothing for little boys out there.”

The “Mary-Kate and Ashley” brand for girls, which includes home video sales and product sponsorships ranging from a fashion line to toothpaste, has become a billiondollar enterprise. Each Olsen twin is estimated to be worth more than $150 million. Werkman believes the Sprouse twins will be equally successful.

“This deal that we just closed for them really represents one of the biggest deals in Hollywood right now because we just signed a deal with Mary-Kate and Ashley’s company Dualstar for licensing and, basically, Mary-Kate and Ashley are at a point where they’re getting older (they’re in college) and they’re looking to kind of move up in different directions for their careers,” Werkman said. “The Sprouse twins are now stepping in.”

Cole and Dylan Sprouse started their acting careers with the TV show, “Grace Under Fire.” They got the show business gene from their grandmother, actress Jonine Wright, Werkman said.

The boys’ credits include “Eight Crazy Nights,” “The Astronaut’s Wife,” the TV show “Friends” and the currently running Disney program, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” which premiered in March.

The twins also shared the role of Julian in Adam Sandler’s 1999 film, “Big Daddy,” just as the entrepreneurial 19-year-old Olsen twins played Michelle Tanner on TV’s “Full House” from 1987 to 1995.

“My brother and I both think that pairing up with another set of twins is probably the greatest thing,” Cole said. “(Mary-Kate and Ashley) have kind of been our idols for quite a while.”

Said Dylan, “We get to do something that not everyone gets to do. I mean, sure, not everyone gets to be on a TV show, but still, pairing up with Mary-Kate and Ashley—that’s the biggest thing that could ever happen.”

Werkman discovered the Sprouse twins when they were 8 years old.

“I used to be a talent agent in New York and I found (the Sprouse twins) after ‘Big Daddy’ and started working with them,” Werkman said. “I didn’t sign them right away . . . I knew that when I met them there was something really big in store for these kids—I couldn’t put my finger on it.”

In 2001, Werkman left his agency and became the manager of the Sprouse twins, dedicating his time strictly to them.

Werkman believes the boys have the potential to be as successful as the Olsen twins, but he’s cautious.

“We’re looking out for their best interests and put their lives as little boys first, which I think is so important but not always regarded in the entertainment industry,” Werkman said. “In this business— and I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve worked with all kinds of kids including celebrities and new faces—it’s very hard for kids to find a balance.”

The Sprouse kids have balance, Werkman said. They maintain straight A’s in school, they have a good family life and a good social life.

“These kids definitely break the mold when it comes to that,” Werkman said. “I think the key here with the boys is that they’re surrounded by so much support from the parents, their friends, their family and even people in the business. These kids are so loved and so highly regarded.”

In the meantime, the boys have been getting used to their new responsibility as kid idols in movies and on TV. They both say they’re ready to take the next step in their celebrity status. Mary-Kate and Ashley, here they come.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *