We know that Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are some of the most famous twins to grace the set of prime time television, and their "successors," Dylan and Cole Sprouse (The Kings of Appletown, Suite Life of Zach and Cody) are this generation's hot duo.  And while each of them have enjoyed success both on screen and through hugely successful international branding campaigns, it can be said that they got their start in part because, well, there were two of them.  In short, when twins are working, producers can get more bang for their buck!

According to entertainment labor laws in many states, especially California, child actors are allowed to be on set for only a limited amount of time.  In Mary Kate and Ashley's case, for example, when together at just one year of age they shared the role of "Michelle Tanner" in TV's Full House, the maximum amount of time the children were allowed on set by law was limited to 4.5 hours (including all breaks and lunch). Only two hours within that time could actually be devoted to on-camera work.  Because there where two of them, however, producers could stagger the duo's work day thus doubling their screen time while keeping each on set only for the legal amount of time.  (To view and print a copy of the working hours of minors in CA, click here).

For this reason, production companies love it when they can find and work with identical twins. Especially when the role calls for someone very young and the allowable work hours on set are limited.  When birthing scenes and diaper commercials are produced, for example, multiples are always in high demand.

If you have identical twins or even tripplets, you have a definite advantage when competing for roles for children who are under five years of age.

What to do if you're a parent of multiples

First consider if they are identical or fraternal.  Unless they look extremely similar, fraternal twins don't work well as photo doubles.  Identical twins, however, can be listed as a duo (one account) on CIF because they technically have very similar characteristics (hair color, sex, weight, etc).  Additionally, they are then listed in our member directory under the twins section so industry pros can find them quickly when searching the site.  If you have fraternal twins - particularly those of opposite sex or those that look very different from one another - it is our suggestion to create two separate CIF profiles.  This way, when an industry professional does a refined search on our website, your children will be considered individually for opportunities. 

Extras casting companies, such as Kids! Management are always looking for kids, especially multiples.

Secondly, consider their age.  While being a twin is definitely an asset at a young age (under 6), once your children begin to work consider developing their careers as separate entities.  Brooke and Beth Orrick-Arno, for example, have definitely done this.  Twins Madison and Michaela Heckmann have also developed separate careers and even hold separate profiles on CIF. Sometimes these twins work as a duo; other times only one will take on a role.