Why We Never Hear From The Olsen Twins' Brother
We're all familiar with the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley, who have been in the limelight since they were babies. We even know their younger sister, Elizabeth, whose breakout role came in the 2011 movie Martha Marcy May Marlene.
But did you know the Olsen twins have a brother, James Trent? Learn more about the not-so-famous Olsen sibling and how he's managed to stay out of the spotlight.
He had a pretty normal childhood
While Mary-Kate and Ashley were busy playing Michelle Tanner on Full House, Trent was busy being, you know, a kid. He went to the same college preparatory school in Los Angeles that his twin sisters attended; however, at the time, he was kind of lost in their shadows. A classmate of Trent's told the New York Post that he was known as the "Olsen twins' older brother."
Trent did use that to his advantage, though."He would sell his sisters' autographed photos," the classmate claimed. "I definitely bought one. We all did!"
He only had small parts in his sisters' films
As it turns out, Trent actually made a run at Hollywood. According to the New York Post, he auditioned for a role on Tales from the Crypt as a kid and actually got the part. The only problem: his parents wouldn't let him take it, according to his college friend, Rob Robol.
However, they did let him appear in some of Mary-Kate and Ashley's movies in the '90s. He played himself in Our First Video, The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley and You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Sleepover Party.
He was busy going to college
Although he didn't make millions in Hollywood, Trent did manage to accomplish something his twin sisters did not: graduate college. After high school, Trent enrolled at the University of Southern California, where it sounds like he was pretty darn popular as an undergrad.
"He won the Mr. Tommy pageant at USC, which is a homecoming-king type of thing," a friend told the New York Post. "For his talent section, he did a Vagina Monologue. "
He's busy being a good friend
If there's one thing you can call Trent, it's a good friend. According to the New York Post, Trent organized a 10,000-mile road trip to help raise money for Lou Gehrig's Disease after a friend lost his father. The road trip raised almost $18,000.
Of course, while he may have a charitable heart, he's also got a pretty wicked sense of humor. As a college friend explained, "He has like 3,000 Facebook friends, and Trent thought it was funny to change his birthday every three months or so. He'd receive 100 posts on Facebook wishing him a 'Happy Birthday' four times a year." Well, when your sisters are busy singing song like "Brother for Sale," you gotta get your love somewhere.
He's an involved dog dad
Trent may not have kids of his own but it looks like he has a furbaby (maybe even two!). One scroll through his Instagram account and it's easy to see that the California native is a dog lover. In mid-March, he posted a photo of him and his newest pal, writing, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my handsome little man Huxley Boneshire Olsen." Awww.
Since then, he's posted videos of Huck's rather unconventional training and several closeup photos of the handsome pup. It looks like he's also dad to the beautiful Bella, who loves to watch TV.
He's traveling
Trent may not be in the public eye very often because he's pretty busy traveling. He recently had an interesting encounter with United Airlines, which fortunately ended better than, you know, this.
He also photographed his trips to both Las Vegas and Chicago — and that's just in the last few months.
He's trying to stand on his own two feet
With siblings as rich and powerful as Mary-Kate, Ashley and Elizabeth, one wouldn't blame Trent for using their connections to get a foot in the Hollywood door. And yet, that's exactly not who Trent is, according to his friend.
"If he wanted to, he could ask his sisters for help with movie stuff and anything, really," a friend told the New York Post. "They're incredibly close. But I think he wants to do it all basically on his own." Cheers to that!
He's working behind the scenes
As of 2014, Trent has been busy working behind the scenes at a production company called Storm King Productions. According to the New York Post, he works in the feature film and television department of the company, which produces a lot of vampire movies.
He may not always be behind the scenes forever, though. In fact, Trent's friends think he's a pretty killer actor. "I hope he will take up acting again," a friend said. "He's freakin' amazing. Lizzy was hidden for many years, and now she's tearing it up. And I know he'll do the same thing."