06 July 2006
By Jane Bussmann. Photographs by Wayne Maser
It's Mischa's moment
Her role in The O.C. may be history, but things are on the up for Mischa Barton. Currently making a film with Richard Attenborough and set to study at RADA this summer, she talks fashion, fame and the Hollywood It-crowd
Mischa Barton looks pretty good for someone who just died in a car crash. American teenagers tuning into the season finale of youth soap phenomenon
The O.C. were distraught to see one of their most popular characters – Mischa's alter ego, the beautiful, privileged, Californian calamity case Marissa Cooper – expiring in the arms of her ex-boyfriend. Untimely soap deaths range from the sublime (
Emmerdale's Batley the dog) to the ridiculous (
Dynasty's Moldavian massacre). 'So I have to say, I feel very lucky!' winces Mischa. The big death scene could have been camp, but Mischa is a young player who takes her game seriously. 'I had to die right on camera, so I wanted it to be up to standard for the fans,' she explains. 'I didn't want people laughing.'
The 20-year-old, 5ft 9in New Yorker is in Canada shooting a new movie, but right now the two of us are stalking the streets of Toronto looking for a vegan restaurant. Students eating chips spin to see if it's really her, checking out her long bare legs and preppy top. A paparazzo lurks behind Mischa, as usual; the Barton cheekbones are worth a tabloid fortune. Her skin could be that of a child and her eyes are vast and blue. Even up close, Mischa Barton looks like a cartoon kitten.
'Wish I'd brought a camera, look at this city – such a good atmosphere,' she sighs. 'I had to be in bed early, but one street seemed to have about ten clubs.' Mischa Barton is a free spirit with a strong work ethic. 'I get up at 4.30 to get to the set. Sleeping in is my favourite thing on the planet.' You'd certainly need a kip after three years playing Marissa, what with an eating disorder, lesbian affairs and your mum shagging your ex. Oh, and shooting your ex-boyfriend's jailbird brother after he attempted to r*pe you. Confused? Marissa occasionally was. 'We sometimes shot two episodes at once, 12- or 14-hour days,' she says. The effort paid off with global stardom: Mischa appears in 33,500 different photos on one fansite alone.
'
Beverly Hills [90210] and
Melrose Place were so huge in their day, but looked a little dated; people were ready for something edgier, grittier,' she says. And grittier it was. One of the most interesting episodes was when Marissa overdosed in Mexico – 'a bottle of tequila, maybe Vicodin,' she says. Marissa's lesbian kiss, however, was 'something of an anticlimax', although Mischa did giggle with co-star Olivia Wilde. 'But Olivia always makes me giggle, she's so funny.' Mischa is still friends with
The O.C. crew: 'Leaving is like leaving school – you miss them.'
She's excited about moving on, though. 'For the first time, I have freedom,' she says, but she's also grateful for the security that comes with a hit show, which has allowed her to buy her new Los Angeles home, for instance. 'It's comfortable, Mediterranean style, nothing glam, but I love my pool and my dogs play in my backyard.'
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http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/magazine/