Actresses Rachel Bilson and Melinda Clarke are hoping for some clarity after The O.C. co-star Mischa Barton made damning claims about her time on the show.
Bilson and Clarke chatted about their experiences on the modern soap opera during their Tuesday installment of their Welcome to the OC, B****es! podcast. The two discussed Barton’s E! interview, where she levied claims of being “bullied” on set and working to the point of exhaustion. Barton’s character, Marissa, was killed off during the season-three finale.
Both Bilson and Clarke say they spoke to each other “immediately” after the interview came out and were “confused” by their former co-star’s claims.
“We were just like, ‘Wait, what?’,” said Bilson, who starred as Summer. The actress also addressed Barton’s statements about her character, Summer, being a last-minute addition to the cast, which allegedly led to bullying from the men on the set.
“[That] is actually completely false and not what happened,” said Bilson. “I would actually like to talk to her and find out what her experience was from her perspective, because I saw things a little differently.”
Clarke, who played Barton’s on-screen mom, Julie Cooper, says her former co-star’s interview “breaks my heart a little.”
“We knew there was a lot of pressure on her but if it was really that bad of an experience, that’s not right for any young person,” she continued, pointing out that the cast was mostly comprised of teenagers when filming started.
However, Clarke added that “some” of Barton’s statements were “perplexing to me.”
The two have since extended an invitation to Barton to join them on the podcast to share her story and have an open conversation with them.
The full interview will be featured on the Everything Iconic podcast.
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