Mischa Barton, 37, has made her Aussie TV debut, opening up on why she decided to move to Ramsay Street and join the Neighbours reboot.
The Aussie soap is back, but with a new famous face added to the mix, with the American actress appearing in the series premiere on Monday, September 18.
Barton is best known for playing Marissa Cooper on The O.C. and her role as American Reese Sinclair marks her first role in an Australian show.
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Speaking to Variety, Barton said the reboot was “serendipitous” timing after revealing she had been approached for different roles on the soap in her mid-20s.
“Over the years they’ve asked me a couple of times and tried to get me for different roles,” she told the outlet, adding her character for the revival “felt like a good fit”.
As an American celebrity guest, Barton said the idea of joining the Aussie reboot was “intriguing”.
“I probably should have been even more cautious going into something that had been running for so long, but everybody was so nice to me,” she said.
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As a cast newcomer, Barton revealed it was “really heartwarming” to see the cast and creatives reunite on set.
“And then to watch them bring me into the mix and invite me in was a wild ride,” she told Variety.
“It was very sweet.”
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Neighbours was axed on Australian TV last year after a decades-long run since the ’80s. It was then picked up by Amazon for a reboot that would air in Britain and the US on Amazon Freevee.
Barton coincidentally already had a connection to the show thanks to her TV grandfather on The O.C., Alan Davies, who played Jim Robinson on Neighbours.
Davies recently spoke about his former co-star’s gig on the hit Aussie show, revealing his son was very excited at her casting news.
“My boy Tom is 25 and has never watched Neighbours in his life,” Davies told The Guardian.
“But when the announcement came out about Mischa, my phone pings and it’s my son going, ‘OMG! Mischa Barton! OC! I’m going to have to watch!'”
This year also happens to be the 20 year anniversary of The O.C. which first premiered on US network The CW in 2003.
Barton famously left the show after season three, reportedly needing a break from acting.
While the actress didn’t take part in the show’s fourth and final season, she recently jumped on the celebration train to mark the show’s milestone.
Barton appeared on the Welcome to the OC, Bitches! podcast hosted by her co-stars Rachel Bilson, who played her on-screen BFF Summer Roberts, and Melinda Clarke, her TV mum.
Barton also joined the cast and creatives for the Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History book, releasing November 28.
According to The O.C. alum, the show has “a certain sense of nostalgia” now two decades have passed since it first aired.
“I think it’s just really heartwarming to see this generation during lockdown watch it again and see young people watching it,” Barton told Variety.
“It’s nice to know that people still get a kick out of it.”
Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.