TV Stars Who Walked Away From Their Shows: Mischa Barton - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 07-30-2026, 07:36 PM

During the 2000s, "The O.C." reigned supreme. Mischa Barton portrayed Marissa Cooper, the privileged yet troubled It girl and ostensible female lead, and when she was killed in the season 3 finale after a tragic car accident, fans were left reeling.

In 2017, series creator Josh Schwartz told The Daily Beast that the decision to kill off Marissa had to do with “creativity, cast chemistry, and ratings,” noting that Barton “certainly wasn’t actively seeking to leave the show.”

But Barton opened up about the real reason she left in an interview with E! News in 2021, revealing it was her decision. In addition to experiencing “general bullying from some of the men on set,” Barton felt overworked.

“Halfway through season two I would say, when we started doubling up on episodes and shooting [became] so much harder, and again a lot of that was too much for me,” Barton admitted. “I didn’t know where the character was going. I look back on it pretty fondly, but there’s stuff I think people did wrong and the way they handled it. So, I just didn’t feel I could keep going.”

She continued, “The producers were like, ‘Well, do you want your job and to sail off into the sunset and potentially you can come back in the future in some bizarre TV scenario or we can kill your character off and you can go on with your career that you want and what you want to do?’”

In the end, she departed so that she could pursue bigger roles in films.

“It just felt like it was the best thing for me and my health and just in terms of not really feeling protected by my cast and crew at that point,” she said.

https://ew.com/tv-stars-who-walked-a...roles-12031077

07-30-2026, 07:36 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,335	TV Stars Who Walked Away From Their Shows: Mischa Barton During the 2000s, "The O.C." reigned supreme. Mischa Barton portrayed Marissa Cooper, the privileged yet troubled It girl and ostensible female lead, and when she was killed in the season 3 finale after a tragic car accident, fans were left reeling. In 2017, series creator Josh Schwartz told The Daily Beast that the decision to kill off Marissa had to do with “creativity, cast chemistry, and ratings,” noting that Barton “certainly wasn’t actively seeking to leave the show.” But Barton opened up about the real reason she left in an interview with E! News in 2021, revealing it was her decision. In addition to experiencing “general bullying from some of the men on set,” Barton felt overworked. “Halfway through season two I would say, when we started doubling up on episodes and shooting [became] so much harder, and again a lot of that was too much for me,” Barton admitted. “I didn’t know where the character was going. I look back on it pretty fondly, but there’s stuff I think people did wrong and the way they handled it. So, I just didn’t feel I could keep going.” She continued, “The producers were like, ‘Well, do you want your job and to sail off into the sunset and potentially you can come back in the future in some bizarre TV scenario or we can kill your character off and you can go on with your career that you want and what you want to do?’” In the end, she departed so that she could pursue bigger roles in films. “It just felt like it was the best thing for me and my health and just in terms of not really feeling protected by my cast and crew at that point,” she said. https://ew.com/tv-stars-who-walked-a...roles-12031077