Where Are They Now?

The 2003 teen drama series is set in the privileged community of the Newport Beach resort in California. The main character, a sixteen-year-old boy with a criminal past, is invited to join his family by a public defender who lives in Orange County (OC). At first, it looks like the county is a paradise, but as always, human nature always takes over, breeding lies, betrayal, and everyone leading a double life.

Let’s have a look at some of the OC cast and see how they’re doing today.

1. Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper)

Mischa was already a big star when she got into the series. The role of a rich girl brought the actress worldwide fame and a bunch of unforeseen problems. After the showrunners killed off Mischa’s character in season 3, the actress started drinking and doing drugs. After the OC ended, Mischa was named one of the most promising young actresses, but she never lived up to expectations. Today, Barton continues to act, mostly in low-budget, low-rated horror films, but it’s still better than going into rehab.

2. Ben McKenzie (Ryan Atwood)

25-year-old Ben perfectly embodied the image of a 16-year-old guy with a shady past. McKenzie has appeared in many successful projects, including Johnny Got His Gun (2008), Southland, and Gotham. On the set of the latter, he met his future wife, actress Morena Baccarin, who also had a cameo in OC. The couple is now raising two children.

3. Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts)

Rachel’s role was supposed to be episodic, but the audience liked Summer’s bubbly attitude so much that she joined the core cast of the show. A big success for Bilson was working in the movie Jumper, with Hayden Christensen as her partner. The actors started dating and, in 2014, had a daughter. However, three years later, they broke up. After Heart of Dixie, Rachel has almost completely ditched acting, only appearing in a handful of episodic roles. In 2021, Rachel, along with actress Melinda Clarke, started a podcast called “Welcome to the OC, B*tches!” where they invite other actors from the series to reminisce about the funny moments.

4. Adam Brody (Seth Cohen)

Just like Mischa Barton, Adam was already a household name in showbiz when he joined the OC, but it’s this show that’s elevated him to a whole new stardom level. Adam has many successful roles, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Gilmore Girls, and, more recently, Shazam. But he considers Life Partners to be the most impactful movie in his career because that’s where he met his future wife, Leighton Meester. The happy couple got married in 2014, and now they have two kids: a son and a daughter.

5. Olivia Wilde (Alex Kelly)

The series has become a lucky ticket for an actress who no longer needs an introduction. Olivia’s character Alex was introduced in season two as a bar owner and Marissa’s love interest. Of course, nowadays, Wilde is a mega-popular star with projects like House, Tron: Legacy, and the Lazarus Effect.

6. Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen)

After the series ended, Peter did not slow down, and now he continues to act in films. On his account, one of the most successful TV series like Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Wife, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, and others. The actor has been happily married for almost 40 years. The couple has two children: son James, a director, and daughter Katherine, who devoted herself to music.

7. Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper)

Playing the mother of Marissa Cooper, Melinda became one of the most iconic femme fatales in TV history. She has starred in such successful projects as the series Dallas, The Vampire Diaries, Spawn, and Gotham. Today Melinda focuses more on her family life and has only had a couple of gigs in the past few years. She is happily married and has a daughter, Katherine.