Mischa Barton is famous for playing Marissa Cooper on "The O.C.," but now, she regrets taking the role.
In a new interview with Metro U.K., the actress reveals that she "probably wouldn't" star in the hit Fox drama if she could do it all over again.
"It's something I came so close to not doing. I had a really great thing with film. People say be grateful for what you have but it certainly was not the kind of thing I was expecting it to be," she says. "I've kind of seen it all."
During her time on the show, Mischa worked and played hard and said she was "depressed and overworked." The young star was arrested for driving under the influence and marijuana possession in 2007.
"It's tough. It's really tough when you are young in this business," she explains, adding, "It's just one of those things when you are growing under a microscope and changing and that evolution is human. That humanity aspect means flaws - which people don't want to see."
In 2009, the actress was admitted into a psych ward under an involuntary hold after she threatened to take her own life.
When asked if she cared about her reputation, Barton says, "Clearly not!"
"That would really do your head in if you were thinking like that," the 28-year-old reveals. "I just like to be seen for the hard-working actress that I am and not for a bunch of extraneous press. In general people are super quick to harbor on the gossipy stuff and less on how much work goes into it."
So, what advice does she have for today's starlets? "Keep your private life private to the greatest extent that you can," she says. "People have this insatiable appetite for it—so how far can you go with that?"
We love Mischa's honesty -- what do you think of her candid comments? Tell toofab in the comment section below, and click "Launch Gallery" above to see the rest of "The O.C." cast, then and now!
