MISCHA BARTON
THE O.C. ACTRESS IS SET TO SHAKE UP RAMSAY STREET DURING HER STINT ON NEIGHBOURS
Mischa Barton may not have watched a single episode of Neighbours when she was approached to star on the beloved Aussie series, but the actress, 37, knew immediately that the mysterious and fun character on o er was the right part for her. “I was familiar with [the show], probably the same things that most people recognise … like Kylie Minogue and the fun stu ,” she recently told the Herald Sun. “So when the producers approached me about the role, I thought the character of Reece Sinclair was a very good t.”
Having spent the last decade and a half following her career-de ning role as Marissa Cooper on the hit noughties series The O.C. mainly starring in horror icks and indie lms, Barton’s return to the small screen – ignoring a short-lived stint as herself on reality series The Hills: New Beginnings in 2019 – has been much-anticipated. And the actress has promised her character will liven up the recently-rebooted series and bring lots of “drama” to the plotlines. “I’ve started lming on-set and it’s going so great,” Barton recently shared in an Instagram video posted to the o cial Neighbours account.
While it’s not her rst time Down Under, the actress has been enjoying living like a local and has been regularly hitting up homegrown haunts like Prahran Market in Melbourne. And although she’s only lming for a month, Barton is keen to keep exploring Australia once she’s wrapped up her stint on the show. “One of my favourite things to do in Victoria is to go down to the Mornington Peninsula,” she added. “I really like it down there; I love how rugged it is and I love the beaches.” (Neighbours is set to premiere later this year)