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Rachel Bilson Reacts to Mischa Barton's Bombshell Interview Over Why She Left 'The O.C.'

Rachel Bilson Reacts to Mischa Barton's Bombshell Interview Over Why She Left 'The O.C.'

Rachel Bilson and her The O.C. co-star Melinda Clarke both responded to the bombshell interview Mischa Barton recently gave about why she decided to leave the hit show.

If you missed it, in mid-May, Mischa told her entire side of the story. On “Welcome to The O.C., Bitches” podcast, Rachel and Melinda responded directly.

Click inside to read more…

It started when podcaster Danny Pellegrino brought up the interview at around one hour and nine minutes in to the podcast.

The ladies actually released this segment of their podcast early “in hopes Mischa would hear us talk about it and would be willing to come join us on the show so we could hear her entire perspective and what she is saying that she experienced.”

Mischa said some things in her tell-all including, “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—ty,” as well as referencing “not really feeling protected by my cast and crew.”

Rachel responded directly on the podcast, saying, “In one of her first comments she said that I was added last minute after the first season, which is actually completely false and not what happened. So it’s starting out that way, I was like, ‘Well, that’s misinformation. Where is she going with this and what is she trying to say?’ I would actually like to talk to her and find out what her experience was from her perspective. I saw things a little differently, I guess.”

Melinda herself added, “The one thing going into this podcast — and Rachel and I discussed this — I can tell you about my experience with total honestly and transparency, I cannot speak for somebody else’s experience. We have touched on this, that someone who’s 16, 17, 18, that amount of hours of work, pressure, at such a young age, at best you’re exhausted and at worst, it’s overwhelming and chaotic.”

“It kind of breaks my heart a little to know — 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. “But some of the comments were very perplexing to me, so I don’t know what the truth is about that. I do know that, yes, this was an enormous amount of pressure.”

“So that was a little perplexing,” Melinda added. “We all do know that now, in the early 2000s, the scrutiny of the young ladies going out and the Nicole Richies and the Parises and Lindsays and Mischas, there was a lot of attention and just by being out there somehow it got turned against them and we’re finding out it may have been quite a toxic environment. Rachel and I both think it’s important, if she wants to come and talk to us and share her story, we would love to explore that. I think it’s something we’re all becoming aware of and it’s important for us to learn in our culture what can be very damaging to young people.”

“Hollywood is notorious for doing 18-20 hour days and it’s not for the faint of heart,” she added. “But being that young, I do think it can be an additional stress.”

“I’m definitely pretty confused by most of it and I don’t know who she’s referring to,” Rachel said. “I didn’t personally witness any of that, so I don’t know who she’s referring to or what, because I didn’t see it myself.”

Read Mischa Barton’s entire interview.

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