Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen give rare interview about their lives out of the public eye

Updated

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, now 30, are opening up about their lives away from the public eye in a rare new interview with The EDIT magazine.

The designers of The Row and Elizabeth and James revealed to the fashion magazine that they're more comfortable these days behind the camera and not in front of it, off social media instead of on it and talking about their design process and not about their private lives.

SEE ALSO: Queen Elizabeth spotted horseback riding 2 months after illness -- see the pic!

"We're used to being on the other side of the camera and managing the process, so it's hard for us to do photo shoots now," Mary-Kate says. "That's why you have models."

The twins, who were once the most in-demand movie stars in the world, retreated from celebrity culture around the time they were in college at NYU. Since then, they've ceased starring in films and, instead, have focused exclusively on their successful fashion brands. Because of that shift in focus, the Olsens rarely talk about their private lives.

See recent photos of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen:

"When we were younger, being in the public eye was almost part of our role and responsibility -- to set the trends at the time or be ahead of fashion," says Mary-Kate.

And being so public at such a young age forced the pint-sized stars to be disciplined in their work, which the former "Holiday In The Sun" and "Full House" stars admit wasn't that difficult for them.

"I think we're lucky [working hard] comes quite naturally for us," Mary-Kate says. "We don't need so much time to sit and think and ponder. But then I have a husband, two step-kids and a life; I have to go home and cook dinner. I ride horses on the weekends. You find the thing that helps you relax and if you don't have it, you have to look for it. Or you get burned out and then you're not productive."

Mary-Kate is married to frenchman Olivier Sarkozy, 47, who has two children with his ex-wife, Charlotte Bernard. Ashley is dating art dealer Richard Sachs, 58.

The twins point to their absence from social media as one of the keys to their ability to be so productive. Though their two labels have their own Instagram accounts, Mary-Kate and Ashley don't have any of their own social media profiles, much to the chagrin of their loyal fans.

"We don't dive into that world [of social media]; we don't have Instagram or Facebook," Ashley explains. "So we've never been connected to our customers or our fans in that way. We've stayed quite sheltered."

Read Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's full interview with The EDIT -- and see new photos of the twins -- here.

See photos of the Olsen twins throughout their careers:

More from AOL.com:
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are reportedly dating
Tom Cruise has a royal meeting with Prince Philip: Find out why they met!
John Legend schooled Fox's Bill O'Reilly over condescending tweet about reporter Andrea Mitchell

Advertisement