Mischa Barton Reveals Real Reason Marissa Was Killed Off The OC

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Menu Follow Followed Like More Action Sign in now Screen Awards 2026 Movie Preview Exclusives Best on Streaming SR Database Network TV Schedule Close By Graeme Guttmann Published May 18, 2021 Graeme Guttmann is the Deputy News Editor for ScreenRant, overseeing the News and Interview & Events team for film and television. He began at ScreenRant in 2020 as a freelancer. He has interviewed talent from various films and series, including Jennifer Coolidge, Mikey Madison, Emma Roberts, and more. Additionally, Graeme is a critic for ScreenRant, having attended film festivals like Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, SXSW, and Cannes.  You can reach him at [email protected] and read his criticism here: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critics/graeme-guttmann/movies Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Mischa Barton finally revealed the real reason why Marissa was killed off in the season three finale of The O.C. The teen soap became an iconic early-aughts television series during its four season run following a group of affluent high schoolers in the coveted Newport Beach neighborhood. Barton starred alongside Ben McKenzie as Ryan Atwood, Adam Brody as Seth Cohen, and Rachel Bilson as Summer Roberts, forming the core four of the series. The O.C. was cancelled after four seasons due to declining ratings that may or may not have had something to do with the shocking season three finale.

In that finale, Barton's character Marissa was unceremoniously killed off in a surprising turn of events. Up until that point, Marissa had gone through a lot, from being held hostage by a boy named Oliver, going through a drug overdose, and constantly going back-and-forth in her relationship with McKenzie's Ryan. Still, as part of the original cast, Marissa seemed almost untouchable until FOX began teasing a tragic character death in its promotions for the upcoming finale. No one could've predicted what came next, as Marissa and Ryan are chased down by her ex-boyfriend Kevin and their car is run off the road.

Related: The OC: Every Real-Life Band That Played At The Bait Shop

Marissa ends up dying in Ryan's arms in what has become a landmark moment for teen soaps, but what happened behind the scenes is almost as dramatic as what fans ended up seeing in the finale. Barton, who has remained quiet about her exit from the show in the years since, opened up to E! Online about her departure, indicating that there were several different reasons behind Marissa's death. One of those was Barton's feeling unsafe on the set of The O.C. due in part because of her burgeoning stardom. This stardom also led Barton to want to seek out other roles beyond the show.

This has been said before, but they kind of gave me an option. 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?" I was getting offers from big films at the time and having to turn them down. I had always been supporting in The Sixth Sense and any of those things. My dream was to be offered those lead roles, so that's what happened. 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.

Although Barton's career post-The O.C. never reached the heights of her level of popularity during that show, the actress has sought out other ventures. From her time on reality television series The Hills: New Beginnings to her work in the fashion industry, Barton has stayed busy. Still, it's easy to imagine what could've been if Marissa had not been killed off. It's possible The O.C.'s ratings wouldn't have declined, leading to plenty more seasons of the show.

Despite this, though, there's a clear dip in quality for the series after the heights of its first two seasons and it's hard to say if the show could have gotten that magic back. Creator Schwartz has gone on to produce other iconic teen soaps like the original Gossip Girl and its upcoming HBO Max reboot, proving he's capable of longevity. Regardless, Barton's Marissa will go down in history as one of the most iconic IT-girl's from early-aughts teen soaps, with her character from The O.C. laying the foundation for a common archetype deployed across so many series.

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More: The O.C: Why Mischa Barton's Marissa Was Killed Off In Season 3

Source: E! Online

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