Greetings from The O.C. The teen drama served as a launching pad for young actors like Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Ben McKenzie, and others, but there were many more faces in the background who would quickly become well-known.
The O.C. follows Ryan Atwood (McKenzie), who, after moving in with Seth Cohen (Brody) and his family in the affluent California suburb of Orange County, goes through a cultural shock. Olivia Wilde, who played the series’ older love interest Alex Kelly, was one of many noteworthy guest actors even though she didn’t remain around for all four seasons.
I once discounted The O.C.
I would think, “What an embarrassment, I did a teen soap,” the House alum told The New York Times in May 2019. I now realize how fortunate I was to have that experience because it was so formative.
He adds I was just 19 years old, working a job, and on the weekends I was shooting a movie called Alpha Dog, bouncing between various sets, until it finally came out. The amazing plot of, like, gay love between two young girls on this, like, American drama was how my role was sort of introduced to the globe. I remember thinking at the time, “Well, this should be typical.” Why does it matter so much? However, people either became enraged in a positive or negative way. Then I thought, “Well, this is a crucial talk.”
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Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) and Alex briefly fell in love, and Wilde acknowledged that it took some time for the gravity of her role to sink in. People would approach me on the street and say, “Your position on the show helped me come out to my family, made me feel comfortable around my friends, and helped me understand [and] kind of own my sexuality in a comfortable way,” she said in the podcast. This still happens frequently. Whoa, that’s an honor, I thought.
Fans who grew up watching The O.C. still maintain a special place in their hearts for the program, and even the cast still cherishes their memories of it. On her podcast Welcome to the OC, Bitches, Bilson, who has been recapping each episode, has previously gushed about sharing scenes with on-screen lovers Summer and Seth, played by now-ex Brody.