They’ve made friends with Ellen DeGeneres, Nicki Minaj, and even warmed the heart of lewd wisecrack Russell Brand — he’s said he wants to babysit them. Not since Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were on “Full House” have there been two little girls as popular as Sophia Grace and Rosie, and the potential payoff for them could be huge. There are full-grown adults in Hollywood wishing they had their name recognition.
The English cousins made their first appearance on “Ellen,” which has been viewed more than 24 million times on YouTube, sporting an infectious combination of sass, energy and innocence. “We like dancing together, and Rosie makes me feel more confident ’cause I got someone with me,” Sophia Grace told DeGeneres when the duo first appeared on the show in 2011. Sophia Grace was 8 years old then, and Rosie was 5. She then explained their preferred costumes: pink dresses with cotton-candy-colored tutus, pink tiaras and Mary Janes. “We love pink,” Sophia Grace said. “That’s first answer. We love pink.”
Sophia Grace paused for a whispered consultation with Rosie. “Say we like fluffy dresses,” she whispered.
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“You say it!” Rosie whispered back. Rosie acts primarily as a silent, but visible, partner.
Share this articleShareSophia Grace turned to Ellen. “And we like fluffy dresses!”
They went on to perform Minaj’s “Super Bass,” which is a song that’s actually not at all appropriate for children, but they were so charming and so cute it didn’t matter. Plus “Super Bass” is really catchy. And thus, a relationship was born. DeGeneres has dispatched Sophia Grace and Rosie as her personal “Ellen Show” red carpet correspondents. They have been invited back multiple times to perform Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse,” “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This.”
When she met her idol, Minaj, on “Ellen,” Sophia Grace was overcome with joy and disbelief. “You’re real! You’re real! You’re real!” she squealed, bounding up and down in a trademark foofy pink princess dress as Minaj high-fived her. Audience members dabbed at the tears in their eyes. As daytime television moments go, it was golden. It was as though we were watching Sophia Grace meet the Tooth Fairy.
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A couple of months ago, the trailer for Sophia Grace and Rosie’s movie debuted on “Ellen.” On Wednesday, TMZ revealed the details of their contract, which has to be filed in court because the girls are still minors. The site reports that Sophia Grace, 11, will make $50,000 for “Sophia Grace & Rosie’s Royal Adventure,” a straight-to-video release. If producers elect to make a second and third movie, she makes $75,000 for each one, and, if there are fourth and fifth installments, $100,000 for each of those. TMZ didn’t have the details of Rosie’s deal. (Figures. She’s the quiet one.) But they did say she signed on for the sequels as well. It’s like we’re able to see what Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone would have been like as children without the miracle of time travel.
When they worked the red carpet at the American Music Awards, Sophia Grace asked John Legend if he had any advice for them. “Well,” Legend said, “Stick with Ellen. She’ll treat you really well.”
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