Mischa Barton claims “bullying” on set was the reason she left ‘The O.C.

"I just felt very unprotected"

The OC

Rachel Bilson, Adam Brody, Mischa Barton and Benjamin McKenzie in season one of 'The OC'.
CREDIT: Warner Bros/ Everett Collection.

Mischa Barton has claimed the reason she left The O.C. was because of “bullying” that took place
on the set of the show.

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Speaking in a new interview, the actor, who played Marissa Cooper in the teen drama from 2003
to 2006, said she “felt very unprotected” on the series and alleged that people were mean to her
during its taping.

“There were people on that set that were very mean to me,” she told E! News. “It wasn’t, like, the
most ideal environment for a young, sensitive girl who’s also been thrust into stardom to have to
put up with.”

Barton, now 35, said that working on the show became more difficult for her during its second
season.

Recalling her decision to leave The O.C. after three seasons, Barton said that 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 shitty”.

She added: “But, you know, I also loved the show and had to build up my own walls and ways of
getting around dealing with that and the fame that was thrust specifically at me. Just dealing with
the amount of invasion I was having in my personal life, I just felt very unprotected, I guess is the
best way to put it.”
On her decision to talk about her exit from the show now, Barton said: “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.

“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.”

Last month, The O.C. stars Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke launched a rewatch podcast based
around the ’00s teen drama.