Mischa Barton (The O.C.) talks about her recovery after a mental breakdown

The other side of 'The O.C.'

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

From the heights of success to a challenging gap: Mischa Barton, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper on the TV series 'The O.C.', shared her thoughts on the challenges she faced as a young film star during her participation in the 2025 Filming Italy Sardinia Festival.

Fame at 17

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

She said that it wasn't easy being famous at 17; in fact, she said she was overwhelmed, and it was hard to recover from that. She also indicated that she was hounded by paparazzi, and always had the need to space.

Unforgettable character

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

At that time, the character of Marissa Cooper became part of the daily lives of many fans of the series, who were literally shocked when she died in the third season.

Bullying on set

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

Recalling that time to E! News, Mischa Barton said there was "sort of general bullying from some of the men on set that kind of felt really s***ty."

An unhealthy environment for a girl

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

Mischa, still a teenager at the time, decided to leave the acclaimed TV series before it ended. The pressure, the relentless workload, and the unhealthy environment for someone so young pushed her away from the spotlight.

Dark moments

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

Among the dark moments of those years was her arrest for intoxicated driving, which was probably the prelude to her mental breakdown in 2009.

The mental breakdown

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

"It was a full-on breakdown. I was under enormous pressure," she told Latime. That emotional breakdown led to her being urgently admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Hollywood nightmare

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

In an interview with People, she explained how therapy helped her escape the "Hollywood nightmare," as her colleague Peter Gallagher called it when speaking about the actress.

A new life thanks to therapy

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

The actress said she has embraced daily therapy and that it is a slow process, made of introspection and reconciliation with herself.

She's back on set

The other side of 'The O.C.', Fame at 17, Unforgettable character, Bullying on set, An unhealthy environment for a girl, Dark moments, The mental breakdown, Hollywood nightmare, A new life thanks to therapy, She's back on set

After years away from the spotlight, Mischa Barton has returned to acting. In 2023, she starred in the soap opera 'Neighbours' and is currently starring in two films: the thriller 'Sleepwalker' with Hayden Panettiere and 'Bad News on the Doorstep,' set in the 1950s.

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