Rachel Bilson Revealed What Mischa Barton Introduced Her to While Filming ‘The O.C.’
Teenage drama The O.C. was a massively huge television show for young celebrities such as Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, and Ben McKenzie. The show aired from 2003 to 2007 and even inspired shows like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The O.C. propelled its stars into the spotlight while some were still teens, and they navigated young fame together. Here’s what Barton taught Bilson while they filmed The O.C. in the early aughts.
Rachel Bilson and Mischa Barton acted on ‘The O.C.’ in the 2000s
Bilson and Barton played on-screen best friends Marissa Cooper and Summer Roberts. They were fashion-obsessed, rich rule-breakers who lived in the affluential titular county of the show. The characters interacted most with the adorkable Seth Cohen (Brody) and Ryan Atwood (McKenzie), who the Cohens took in as part of their family.
Bilson started as a guest-star while playing Summer, but her interactions with Barton’s Marissa, and her eventual romance with Brody’s Seth became fan-favorite relationships on the show.
During season 1 of The O.C., Barton was just 17 years old, while Bilson was 22. Even though Bilson was a few years older than Barton, the younger star still taught her some things on the show.
Rachel Bilson said Mischa Barton introduced her to this on the show
Bilson discussed The O.C. and more in an interview with Nylon. The actor reflected on the early days of the hit show, more than a decade later.
“We had a lot of fun the first season,” she expressed.
Bilson continued: “We were all getting to know each other. We were hanging out outside of work, as well. That was definitely fun.”
She also touched on something Barton surprisingly introduced her to at the time.
“Mischa introduced me to flavored lattes at Starbucks during the pilot,” Bilson revealed. “She said, ‘We can get lattes.’ I was like, ‘We can do that?’ She’s like 16, and I was like, ‘Oh, my god.'”
“It was 18 years ago, so it’s hard to say,” the actor said about behind-the-scenes season 1 stories. “I know we had a lot of fun and we all really liked each other.”
Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clark are rewatching ‘The O.C.’ on a podcast
Now, several years later, Bilson is revisiting The O.C. with co-star Melinda Clarke, who played Marissa’s mother, Julie. The two will embark on a new journey together through their podcast, Welcome To The OC, B*tches!.
The podcast’s name references an iconic quote from season 1 when Seth and Ryan are at a party that gets a little rowdy. Ryan defends his brother-to-be Seth from Luke Ward (Chris Carmack). The water polo bully and Ryan then get in a fight themselves. While Ryan’s on the ground, Luke says to him: “Welcome to The O.C., b*tch!”
The Kast Media podcast will follow Bilson and Clarke rewatching the television show. They’ll also have guests who starred on The O.C. on the podcast as well.
“I’m so excited to be doing this podcast with Mindy,” Bilson told Deadline. “I think everyone could use a little light and laughter after the year we have endured. Going back and watching all of these episodes has been so fun and I can’t wait to talk about it all, my own personal experiences as well as others involved with the show. From behind the camera, to the makeup trailer to the faces on screen, I hope you will all tune in and come with us back to the OC.”
Welcome To The OC, B*tches! will be available to listen to on podcast platforms on Tuesdays soon.
