How old was Austin Nichols in Holiday in the Sun? Actor recalls feeling “wrong” kissing teen Mary Kate Olsen due to age difference 

Actor Austin Nichols is looking back on a particularly uncomfortable detail in the Holiday in the Sun movie after more than two decades of its release.

Holiday in the Sun, which is now considered a classic of the early 2000s starred Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Nichols recently talked about the age difference between him and Mary-Kate when they shared a now-infamous onscreen kiss.

In a recent episode of the Drama Queens podcast, Nichols discussed shooting Holiday in the Sun, which was released in 2001. Austin Nichols portrayed Griffen Grayson, a love interest of Mary-Kate Olsen’s character. At the time of the shoot, Mary-Kate was only 15 years old and Nichols, by his own account, would have been about 19 or 20:

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

While the film’s production team apparently selected Nichols in part for his youthful look, he described himself as “tall and skinny and nerdy.” The actor said that he always kept the age difference in mind throughout shooting:

"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,'" he remarked.

Another one of Austin Nichols’ Holiday in the Sun co-stars, who played Ashley Olsen’s love interest in the film, Ben Easter, expressed feeling the same as Nichols. During the filming, Easter was revealed to be 21 and Ashley 14.

Despite hesitating to take the job at first, Ben Easter told E! News in November 2021, that working with the Olsen twins was ultimately a positive experience, due to their kindness and professionalism:

"The most kind, almost shy people. You expect something totally different after I did my research on them. We hit it off right off the bat. They could see I was professional and I wasn't some creep," Easter said.

What is Austin Nichols doing now?

Two decades after being termed as one of Teen People Magazine's "Sexiest Guys Ever," Austin Nichols is embracing and focusing more on health and well-being. The One Tree Hill alum, now 44, is on a journey to feel more energetic and healthy. Talking to the outlet in October last year, he said:

"If I feel healthy, if I feel like I'm doing well with exercise and diet and sleep, and I'm able to just have a lot of energy and go tackle all the things I want to tackle."

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Now, Austin Nichols is exploring storytelling behind the camera. He recently finished directing his feature debut, an indie film about a struggling public golf course. He is also one of the producers of the movie.

Since his breakout roles in Wimbledon, The Day After Tomorrow, and as Julian Baker on One Tree Hill, Nichols has also appeared in hit series like The Walking Dead, Ray Donovan, and Bates Motel.

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