If it feels like there has been a cosmic shift in the air, that’s because former The O.C queen, Mischa Barton is returning to our screens imminently. In her first big scripted role since walking away from Hollywood, the 37-year-old is giving acting another crack in the reboot of Aussie soap, Neighbours.
She’s entering her Ramsay Street era and we couldn’t be more excited.
But if you’ve been scratching your head wondering why TF she’s chosen to pick up a script again on a humble Australian drama series, then join the club. Inquiring minds have mused that perhaps she’d like to sharpen her acting technique sparring alongside a legend of the craft, Toadie Rebecchi aka Ryan Maloney. Or maybe she wanted an excuse to travel Down Under so she can pop in to Totti’s each weekend on the company dime.
Back in May the British-Born American told the Herald Sun why she made this career move. Believe it or not it was a former Neighbours cast member that gave her the inspo to take the leap.
“I was familiar with it, probably the same things that most people recognise about the show, like Kylie Minogue and the fun stuff,” she said.
Queens inspiring queens? We do love to see it.
Barton is poised to play a character named Reece Sinclair looks set to shake things up with draaaaaaaama when the new series premieres on September 18.
As she gears up for her big premiere, Barton has begun the promo tour and honestly it’s bringing splash of Hollywood excitement to the whole spectacle. In a cover shoot for Stellar Magazine, she is dressed in head-to-toe black and quite frankly it’s giving crow realness.
While the interview is yet to be released the cover reads: “From The O.C. to Ramsay Street. The come back that brought Mischa Barton to Australia.” With that tease, it’s likely that we’ll soon be learning even more about what drove her to come back into the spotlight after years away from the glitz and glamour.
At the height of her career Barton walked away from her starring role as Marissa Cooper on The O.C., a choice she said was to protect herself. In an interview with E! Online in 2021 she opened up about “bullying” on-set and the overwhelming onslaught of becoming one of the biggest stars in the world.
“Just dealing with like the amount of invasion I was having in my personal life, I just felt very unprotected, I guess is the best way to put it,” she said.
After reaching such dizzying heights and experiencing first-hand the more unglamorous sides of showbiz, it’s no surprise that Barton has chosen a different approach to acting this time around. Dipping her toes back in to an environment like Neighbours feels worlds apart from The O.C. and maybe that’s exactly the point.
We can’t wait to see her shake up things on Ramsay Street – which is a hell of a long way from Newport Beach.
