Mischa Barton says 'bullying' on set led to her leaving The O.C.

Mischa Barton says her decision to leave The O.C. at the end of the show's third season was the "best thing" for her and her health. Photo / Getty Images

Mischa Barton was a household name when she starred as Marissa Cooper on beloved Fox series, The O.C. Her popular character shot her to stardom and when Marissa was shockingly killed at the end of season 3, fans were distraught.

In a recent interview the now 35-year-old actress recalled that her time on the set wasn't always enjoyable and that she was the victim of "bullying" which played a big part in her decision to quit the show.

She said: "It's a bit complicated. It started pretty early on because it had a lot to do with them adding Rachel [Bilson] in last minute as, after the first season, a series regular and evening out everybody's pay - and sort of general bullying from some of the men on set that kind of felt really s*****. But, you know, I also loved the show and had to build up my own walls and ways of getting around dealing with that and the fame that was thrust specifically at me. Just dealing with like the amount of invasion I was having in my personal life, I just felt very unprotected, I guess is the best way to put it."

Mischa Barton starred alongside Ben McKenzie (left), Adam Brody and Rachel Bilso on The O.C. for three seasons from 2003-2006. Photo / Supplied

Mischa admits she felt "ashamed" before now to talk about what happened.

She added: "I've always felt ashamed in a way to really talk about what went on behind the scenes because I've always been a very private person and very aware of people's feelings. Now that we're living in this era where we do speak out about our experiences and women do come clean about what was really going on behind the scenes and how they were treated, it's a slightly different thing."

Mischa insists leaving the show after its third season was the "best thing" for her and her health.

Speaking to E! News, she shared: "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."