The O.C. producers admit they regret killing off Mischa Barton's character

15 August 2023 , 10:29

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The O.C. producers admit they regret killing off Mischa Barton's character

Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, creator and executive producer of The O.C., have admitted that they regret killing off beloved Marissa Cooper, who was played by actress Mischa Barton. Marissa was one of the main characters in the show, which kickstarted the careers of Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson and Ben McKenzie.

Marissa was killed off at the end of season three in a fatal car crash. As she was pulled from the burning vehicle, she died in Ryan Attwood's arms, leaving a nation of teens devastated at the scenes unfolding in front of them. The show recieved a largely negative response after her death and figures were impacted.

Commenting on her character's death, Mischa told Newsweek magazine: "My character has been through so, so much and there's really nothing more left for her to do. I was really excited that I get to die, to be honest. It was better than one of those lame farewells."

Mischa's character was killed off (Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

Marissa Cooper was one of the main characters (Warner Bros Tv/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)

However, having discussed the storylines that the show could have followed, producers Josh and Stephanie revealed that the creative team "didn't see an alternative path at the time, which is why we [killed off Marissa]."

"It's something that we regret, and looking back on it, we wish we could have come up with a different solution. When we saw the reaction after Marissa died from that audience, it did not feel good.

Mischa Barton was 'told to sleep with Leonardo DiCaprio' at 19 when he was 30

"It did not feel like that audience had been served or respected in the way that we always wanted and aimed to. Immediately, we had regret at that point," Josh explained to Vanity Fair. "In hindsight, there were lots of other ways we could have written the character off the show—and given Mischa the break that she needed and wanted—that still would've allowed for that character to return."

The producers regret killing Marissa off

"Everyone was very upset in a way that was fun to experience. They were shocked, and I heard from parents who said their kids were crying about what had happened. Ultimately it was the reaction you wanted to get out of the audience," he stated.

Stephanie added: "We were also under tremendous pressure to do something with that level of drama. Killing a series regular came down from the top. If we wanted a season four, we’d have to do something like that."

Lauren Gordon