Jeff Franklin had already cast two babies to share the role of Michelle Tanner. During the first season of Full House, one of them suddenly handled a scene that lasted for minutes.
Franklin recently revisited “Mad Money,” the episode in which Jesse secretly works as an Elvis Presley impersonator while Joey receives a $5,000 savings bond. Franklin directed the episode himself.
“I think it was Ashley,” Franklin told PEOPLE. He remembered the young performer hitting her cues, staying in character and landing the jokes without looking at the camera, boom microphone or studio audience.
Franklin called the performance “miraculous” and “jaw dropping.” He had already singled out the same episode years earlier, telling viewers in 2017 to watch a 16 month old Michelle perform an extended comedy scene.
One Olsen Twin Stayed in Character for Minutes
Franklin said it was the first time the production had one of the twins play such a long scene. Instead of supplying a quick reaction or brief moment as Michelle, the child remained involved for several minutes.
“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 told PEOPLE.
He remembered watching the scene and thinking, “How is this possible?” Franklin said the young performer had the audience “in the palm of her hand” even though she was only about 1 year old.
Franklin believes Ashley performed the scene, but he did not identify her with certainty. Mary-Kate and Ashley both played Michelle throughout the original series and are both credited in “Mad Money.”
‘Mad Money’ Also Featured Their Mothers
The episode gave Franklin and John Stamos a chance to put members of their own families on camera. Their mothers appeared during Jesse’s nightclub performance as he worked as an Elvis Presley impersonator to earn money for his band’s demo.
Franklin remembered directing the cameos with Stamos before turning to the Michelle scene in his recent interview. “Mad Money” aired April 29, 1988, and Apple TV lists it as Season 1, Episode 21.
Franklin had also directed viewers back to the episode in a 2017 reflection on Full House. At the time, he described watching Mary-Kate and Ashley develop into young actresses before they were 2 and specifically cited “Mad Money” as an example.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Left Acting Behind
Mary-Kate and Ashley continued sharing the role of Michelle until Full House ended in 1995. They then starred together in television projects and movies including It Takes Two, Double, Double, Toil and Trouble and New York Minute.
The sisters later moved away from acting and built their fashion careers around The Row. Their decision also kept Michelle out of Netflix’s Fuller House, which reunited many members of the original cast from 2016 through 2020.
Jodie Sweetin said earlier this year that the sisters did not return because acting is no longer what they love. Mary-Kate and Ashley have continued concentrating on fashion, with Mary-Kate serving as creative director of The Row and Ashley as CEO.