Connect with us

Entertainment

Mischa Barton gets candid about ‘feeling pressured’ to lose her virginity after starring The OC: ‘It was looming over me’

Mischa Barton gets candid about 'feeling pressured' to lose her virginity after starring The OC
The O.C. star Mischa Barton has spoken out about ‘feeling pressured’ to lose her virginity after she found fame (Picture: Getty)

Mischa Barton has opened up about being sexualized as a young actress and how her roles impacted the way she viewed her virginity.

The O.C. actress – who famously played Marissa Cooper – spoke candidly about her first time in a candid essay for Harper’s Bazaar UK as she recalled some of the downfalls of her rise to fame.

The 35-year-old began: ‘My film debut, “Lawn Dogs”, explored themes of child molestation, and – while the crew did everything to ensure that I wasn’t exposed to the realities of what all that meant – when I did press for the film, it became clear that it was very mature content.

‘Two years later, I did “Pups” with Burt Reynolds. Lead roles in coming-of-age films are always directly tied to sex and sexuality, and this was a prime example.’

‘It was for “Pups” that I had my first kiss on screen and in real life, in front of an entire crew,’ she recalled. ‘My character had her first period in one scene, something I hadn’t even experienced in life yet. The movie blew up in Asia, and I became a strange sex symbol over there. I was 13.’

Mischa then opened up about the pressure she later felt to have sex for the first time after finding fame on The OC.

The OC cast - Benjamin McKenzie as Ryan, Mischa Barton as Marissa, Adam Brody as Seth and Rachel Bilson as Summer
The actress played Marissa Cooper in the hit series, The OC (Picture: Channel Four)

She explained: ‘Even being a virgin at the time in that context made me feel like a fraud. Here, I was playing a confident character [in The O.C.] who was fast and loose and yet I was still a virgin.

‘The kids in the show were quintessential rich, privileged American teenagers drinking, taking drugs, and of course having sex. I knew it was important to get this thing – my virginity – that was looming over me, the elephant in the room if you will, out of the way.’

Mischa Barton pictured as Marissa Cooper
The star claimed she had been sexualized early in her career before she began known for her work as Marissa Cooper (Picture: Reuters)

The Hills: New Beginning star continued: ‘I started to really worry that I couldn’t play this character if I didn’t hurry up and mature a little.

‘Did I ever feel pressured to have sex with someone? Well, after being pursued by older men in their 30s, I eventually did the deed.’

Mischa’s essay comes after she revealed her ‘complicated’ exit from the show was allegedly because she was bullied behind the scenes.

The OC ran for four seasons from 2003 until 2007.

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

For more stories like this, check our entertainment page.

Follow Metro.co.uk Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.


MORE : Rachel Bilson responds to Mischa Barton’s claim she quit The OC amid ‘bullying on set’: ‘I don’t know who she’s referring to’


MORE : The OC star Melinda Clarke snubs Mischa Barton as she reels off list of co-stars she keeps in touch with