Mischa Barton spills the beans: The OC was not a nice workplace

Fans of The OC, you have been warned. The following news may be a bit heartbreaking. Hopefully, you have already processed that Marissa didn't make it due to a car accident (just as heartbreaking), but now actress Mischa Barton has spilled the beans about her motivations and overall experience working on The OC. And well, they are... Not very positive.

Mischa gave an interview to E! News in which she said: ‘It's a bit complicated. The (toxic work environment) started quite early. It had to do with Rachel Bilson being added to the cast at the last minute and the series becoming a series regular after one season, which meant they had to pay everyone the same. There was also quite a bit of bullying on set by some men, and that felt pretty awful.’

About her departure, she said: ‘I found it very sad to leave because it was a bit like my family, but there were also quite a few things that weren't very cool, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit relieved that I could finally get out of that situation... I didn't know if I could handle the stress of that environment any longer.’

That doesn't sound particularly positive. Does that come as a surprise? Then you're not the only one, as former colleagues Rachel Bilson (Summer) and Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper, Marissa's mother, aka Mischa Barton) were quite taken aback. In Danny Pellegrino's Everything Iconic podcast, they said they actually have no idea what Mischa really means.

‘We were just like… Wait, whát?’ That the addition of Rachel Bilson was all last-minute was nonsense according to Rachel. ‘Where is she going with this story and what does she actually want to say? I would seriously like to talk to her about what her experience was, because I see things quite differently.’

TV mother Melinda also found the statements quite striking and doesn't quite understand what she means. But, she thinks, ‘it must all be a bit overwhelming at such a young age.’ That's not quite enough for Rachel; she responds with: ‘I am definitely quite confused by all these statements.’

The two actresses also used the podcast to invite Mischa for a conversation to join them in their own podcast. But — and this doesn't really surprise me — Mischa or her management has not responded yet.