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Welcome to The O.C.! Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Ben McKenzie and more young actors got their starts on the teen drama — but there were even more faces that would soon become familiar in the background.
The O.C. followed Ryan Atwood (McKenzie), who experiences a culture shock after moving in with Seth Cohen (Brody) and his family in the wealthy California suburb of Orange County. Though she didn’t stick around for all four seasons, Olivia Wilde was one of many memorable guest stars on the series, appearing as older love interest Alex Kelly.
“I used to dismiss The O.C. I’d be like, ‘I did a teen soap—what an embarrassment,’” the House alum told The New York Times in May 2019. “And now I think, ‘Ah, that was really formative and I’m lucky I got to do that.’”
That same month, Wilde shed more light on her experience filming the Fox series in the early 2000s during an interview on the “Keep It” podcast, noting that she didn’t “really understand the phenomenon” that The O.C. “would be or would become.”
The Lazarus Effect star added, “I was just like, 19, just working, shooting this movie Alpha Dog on the weekends and I was going back and forth between these sets and then it came out. My role was kind of revealed to the world and it was the sensational story line of, like, queer love between two teenage girls on this, like, American soap. At the time I was like, ‘Well, this should be normal. Why is it such a big deal?’ But people either got riled up in a good way or got riled up in a bad way. And I was like, ‘Well, this is an important conversation.’”
Alex sparked a brief romance with Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), and Wilde confessed that it took a while for the “significance” of her character to set in. “People would come up to me on the street — it still happens all the time — and say, ‘Your role on the show helped me come out to my family, helped me feel comfortable with my friends and helped me understand … [and] kind of own my sexuality in a comfortable way,’” she said on the podcast. “I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s an honor.’”
The O.C. still holds a special place in the hearts of fans who grew up watching the series — and even its cast still looks back fondly on their memories from the show. Bilson, who has been recapping each episode on her “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” podcast, previously gushed over sharing scenes with now-ex Brody as onscreen couple Summer and Seth.
“You taught me how to act well,” the Hart of Dixie alum, who dated Brody from 2003 to 2006, told her former costar in October 2021. “You made it so, like, comfortable to just go for it and not be afraid. Everything you did in working with you really made me have the confidence to kinda, like, do whatever I wanted and go for it. I just wanna say thank you.”
Scroll down to see where more of The O.C.’s most memorable guest stars are now:
Credit: Shutterstock (3)
The O.C.’s Most Memorable Side Characters: Where Are They Now?
Welcome to The O.C.! Adam Brody, Rachel Bilson, Ben McKenzie and more young actors got their starts on the teen drama — but there were even more faces that would soon become familiar in the background.
The O.C. followed Ryan Atwood (McKenzie), who experiences a culture shock after moving in with Seth Cohen (Brody) and his family in the wealthy California suburb of Orange County. Though she didn’t stick around for all four seasons, Olivia Wilde was one of many memorable guest stars on the series, appearing as older love interest Alex Kelly.
“I used to dismiss The O.C. I’d be like, ‘I did a teen soap—what an embarrassment,'” the House alum told The New York Times in May 2019. “And now I think, ‘Ah, that was really formative and I’m lucky I got to do that.'”
That same month, Wilde shed more light on her experience filming the Fox series in the early 2000s during an interview on the “Keep It” podcast, noting that she didn’t “really understand the phenomenon” that The O.C. “would be or would become.”
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The Lazarus Effect star added, “I was just like, 19, just working, shooting this movie Alpha Dog on the weekends and I was going back and forth between these sets and then it came out. My role was kind of revealed to the world and it was the sensational story line of, like, queer love between two teenage girls on this, like, American soap. At the time I was like, ‘Well, this should be normal. Why is it such a big deal?’ But people either got riled up in a good way or got riled up in a bad way. And I was like, ‘Well, this is an important conversation.'”
Alex sparked a brief romance with Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton), and Wilde confessed that it took a while for the “significance” of her character to set in. “People would come up to me on the street — it still happens all the time — and say, ‘Your role on the show helped me come out to my family, helped me feel comfortable with my friends and helped me understand … [and] kind of own my sexuality in a comfortable way,'” she said on the podcast. “I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s an honor.'”
The O.C. still holds a special place in the hearts of fans who grew up watching the series — and even its cast still looks back fondly on their memories from the show. Bilson, who has been recapping each episode on her “Welcome to the OC, Bitches” podcast, previously gushed over sharing scenes with now-ex Brody as onscreen couple Summer and Seth.
“You taught me how to act well,” the Hart of Dixie alum, who dated Brody from 2003 to 2006, told her former costar in October 2021. “You made it so, like, comfortable to just go for it and not be afraid. Everything you did in working with you really made me have the confidence to kinda, like, do whatever I wanted and go for it. I just wanna say thank you.”
Scroll down to see where more of The O.C.’s most memorable guest stars are now:
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Nikki Reed
Reed appears in season 3 as Sadie Campbell, who arrives in Orange County to help her aunt Gwen and befriends Ryan. The pair spark a brief romance, but they eventually realize their relationship won’t last once Ryan leaves for college. After The O.C., Reed went on to play Rosalie in the Twilight franchise from 2008 to 2012 and portrayed Betsy Ross on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow from 2015 to 2016.
The Thirteen star was previously married to American Idol’s Paul McDonald from 2011 to 2015. She moved on with Ian Somerhalder, tying the knot in April 2015. The couple welcomed daughter Bodhi Soleil in July 2017. Reed announced in January 2023 that she is expecting baby No. 2 with the Vampire Diaries alum.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Olivia Wilde
The Booksmart director starred as Alex Kelly on season 2, but creator Josh Schwartz revealed in 2021 that Wilde nearly nabbed the lead role of Marissa Cooper. The New York native is best known for playing Remy “Thirteen” Hadley on House from 2007 to 2012, but she graced the big screen in Tron: Legacy, Cowboys & Aliens, Drinking Buddies and Life Itself.
Wilde was married to Tao Ruspoli from 2003 to 2011. She moved on with Jason Sudeikis, whom she got engaged to in 2013. The couple, who share son Otis and daughter Daisy, split in 2020. The filmmakter began dating Harry Styles in early 2021 after meeting on the set of her second directorial venture, Don’t Worry Darling. Wilde and Styles split in November 2022.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Chris Pratt
Summer meets Chester (a.k.a. Che) during season 4 while attending Brown. The role was one of Pratt’s first following his turn as a series regular on Everwood in the early 2000s. He later starred on Parks and Recreation from 2009 to 2015 before joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy. Pratt shares son Jack with ex-wife Anna Faris, to whom he was married from 2009 to 2017. He wed Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2018, welcoming daughters Lyla and Eloise in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Cam Gigandet
Along with Reed, the Washington native appeared in the Twilight series after his guest-starring role on The O.C. Gigandet is also known for his work in Easy A, Never Back Down, Burlesque and more. On the small screen, he’s starred on Reckless and Ice.
He shares daughters Everleigh and Armie and son Rekker with Dominique Geisendorff, whom he wed in November 2008. Geisendorff filed for divorce in August 2022 after 13 years of marriage.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Shailene Woodley
Before she was cast as Amy Juergens on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Woodley starred as Kaitlin Cooper, Marissa’s little sister, on The O.C. She made her breakthrough film performance in 2011’s The Descendants and also starred in the Divergent franchise. In 2014, she joined Ansel Elgort in teen romance The Fault in Our Stars. After splitting from rugby player Ben Volavola in 2020, Woodley was linked to Aaron Rodgers. The twosome shocked fans with news of their engagement in February 2021, but they called it quits the following year.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Paul Wesley
The New Jersey native appeared in just one episode of The O.C. and is best known for his lead role as Stefan Salvatore on The CW’s The Vampire Diaries. He later worked on the anthology series Tell Me a Story and the Netflix miniseries Medal of Honor. In March 2022, it was announced that Wesley was cast as James T. Kirk in season 2 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
The Brother’s Bond Bourbon cofounder split from Torrey DeVitto in 2013 after tying the knot two years prior. He wed Ines de Ramon in 2019. Us confirmed in September 2022 that Wesley and de Ramon had split. He moved on two months later with Natalie Kuckenburg.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Lucy Hale
Hale played Hadley Hawthorne, Kaitlin’s boarding school classmate, in a season 3 episode before starring on the short-lived series Privileged. From 2010 to 2017, the Tennessee native portrayed Aria Montgomery on Pretty Little Liars, which earned her seven Teen Choice Awards. She has since appeared on Riverdale and got her own spinoff, Katy Keene, in 2020. The following year, she starred opposite Austin Stowell in rom-com The Hating Game.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Max Greenfield
Though he wowed as the young version of Seth’s dad, Sandy Cohen, the New York native is more widely recognized for playing Schmidt on Fox’s New Girl. The role earned him nominations at the Emmys and Golden Globes before the series ended in 2018. Greenfield went on to star alongside Cedric the Entertainer on CBS’ The Neighborhood. The Veronica Mars alum married Tess Sanchez in 2008. The couple share daughter Lilly and son Ozzie.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Colin Hanks
Tom Hanks’ son portrayed Grady Bridges in an episode of the first season of the Fox drama before making it big on Fargo, Roswell and Life in Pieces. In 2017, Colin joined Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas, Dwayne Johnson and more in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, returning for the sequel two years later. The Burning Love star shares daughters Olivia and Charlotte with wife Samantha Bryant.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Paris Hilton
The socialite made a memorable turn as Kate during a season 1 episode. At the time, Hilton was starring on her own reality series The Simple Life alongside pal Nicole Richie. The Confessions of an Heiress author has since been featured on Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, Cooking with Paris and Paris in Love, the latter of which documented her 2021 wedding to Carter Reum. Hilton is also a successful DJ and dropped a hit single titled “Stars Are Blind” in 2006.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Taylor Handley
Handley’s character, Oliver Trask, threw a wrench in Marissa and Ryan’s relationship throughout season 1 as his obsession with Marissa grew more intense. The California native has not starred in many projects since his turn on The O.C. but briefly appeared on The CW’s Hidden Palms in 2007. He later worked alongside Dennis Quaid on the CBS series Vegas. The Bird Box star is married to Audra Lynn Handley.
Credit: YouTube; Shutterstock
Logan Marshall-Green
The South Carolina native took over the role of Ryan’s brother, Trey Atwood, from Bradley Stryker starting in season 2. He has also appeared on 24, Traveler, Dark Blue and Quarry, and worked on films like Devil, Prometheus, The Invitation, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Upgrade. Marshall-Green dated Marisa Tomei from 2008 to 2012 before he married actress Diane Gaeta. The twosome welcomed a baby boy in 2014, and Gaeta also has a daughter from a previous relationship. The duo split in 2019, finalizing their divorce the following year.
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