Nearly 20 years after The O.C. came to an end, actress Mischa Barton is giving fans some hope that a cast reunion may be in the works.
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While appearing on Germany’s RTL Exclusiv, Barton spoke about her time on the show as well as her recent encounter with some of her former castmates.
“I did the podcast with Melinda [Clarke] and Rachel [Bilson],” she explained. “There might be a reunion coming up, we’ll see… We’ll see…”
When asked if there was “anything planned” regarding a reunion, Barton said, “We’ll see.”
The O.C., which premiered in 2003, followed a poor troubled youth after he was kicked out of his home. He was taken in by a public defender and family, who live in an upper-class neighborhood in Orange County, California. The show ran for four seasons and had nearly 100 episodes before ending in early 2007.
Starring alongside Barton, Clark, and Bilson on The O.C. were Adam Brody, Ben McKenzie, and Peter Gallagher.
Barton Previously Revealed More Details About Her Time on the Show
Barton, who played Marissa Cooper on The O.C., previously opened up about her time on the show.
Cooper died in a car crash during the show’s season three finale.
During a 2021 interview with E! News, Barton reflected on her time on The O.C.
“I’ve always felt ashamed in a way to really talk about what went on behind the scenes because I’ve always been a very private person and very aware of people’s feelings,” she said. “Now that we’re living in this era where we do speak out about our experiences and women do come clean about what was really going on behind the scenes and how they were treated, it’s a slightly different thing.”
Barton then said it was a “bit complicated” about when the conversations about her leaving the show started.
“It started pretty early on,” she said. “Because it had a lot to do with them adding Rachel [Bilson] in last minute as, after the first season, a series regular and evening out everybody’s pay—and sort of general bullying from some of the men on set that kind of felt really s–tty.”
Although she loved the show, Barton admitted she was struggling. She noted that she had the longest hours out of all the castmates.
“It wasn’t an easy character for me to play because it wasn’t me,” she noted. “Which is why I think people liked it or thought Marissa was funny and latched on to her. They felt like this is entertaining because she’s all over the place, and who is this girl? It’s like because this New York girl was trying to play this ditzy L.A. rich kid, you know?”
Barton even admitted she wasn’t surprised that the production killed her character in the way they did.
“No. It’s tragic, it’s poetic. I knew they would find a great song to put it to because music was such a huge part of the show,” she said. “And I know her, as a character, she had really battled to keep it together and was unable to do so.”