Austin Nichols Says He Shouldn’t Have Kissed 15-Year-Old Mary-Kate Olsen In “Holiday In The Sun”

austin-nichols-says-he-shouldn’t-have-kissed-15-year-old-mary-kate-olsen-in-“holiday-in-the-sun”

This is Austin Nichols. You might have seen him in stuff like the classic CW TV show One Tree Hill, as well as movies like The Day After Tomorrow and Wimbledon.

Austin Nichols in a suit with a white shirt poses in front of a blue ocean-themed backdrop

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Back in 2001, Austin starred in the film Holiday in the Sun, which was one of the many direct-to-video Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen films that you, dear reader, may have been raised on.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen stand on a red carpet. One wears a strapless black top with gray pants, the other a red top with black pants. Both are smiling at the camera

Steve Granitz / WireImage

In the film, Austin — who was born in 1980 and is currently 44 years old — shares a kiss with Mary-Kate, who was born in 1986 and is 38 years old. The film came out in November of 2001, so if you operate under the assumption that it was filmed some time in the year before release, Mary-Kate was somewhere between 14 and 15 years old — and Austin was between 20 and 21 years old.

Austin Nichols smiling at an event, wearing a suit with a white shirt and tie

David Blackman/Everett Collectio

Obviously, just the idea of a 14-or-15-year-old engaging in a romantic kiss with a 20-or-21-year-old is…not good. In a recent interview on the Drama Queens podcast, Austin got real about just how not good it felt to act out the scene at the time.

Austin Nichols with a beard in a casual jacket holding a phone, walking down a street with people and shops in the background

Gotpap/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images

“I was definitely nervous because Mary-Kate was 15, and I was, I think, 18 or 19, or maybe even 20,” Austin said. “I don’t remember, but I was too old. And it felt weird, and it felt wrong.”

Mary-Kate Olsen on a red carpet wearing a black outfit with layered necklaces and long, green earrings

Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images

“And I looked very young, so watching the movie, I don’t think you notice. I’m real tall and skinny and nerdy. But I don’t think you can tell there’s a big age difference. But from my brain, I was like, ‘She’s 15. This is weird.’”

Austin Nichols with curly hair and a beard is wearing a suit jacket and shirt. Snowflake decorations are visible in the background

Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic

Well, hey, at least he knew it was weird, I guess. You can listen to the entire interview here.

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