Peter Gallagher is “grateful” Mischa Barton is “still alive.”
The 69-year-old actor talked about Barton, who was his co-star on “The OC,” revealing that the level of fame he experienced at a young age “could kill you.”
Barton, now 38, was only 16 when she was cast as Marissa Cooper in Josh Schwartz’s early ’00s teen drama, catapulting her to A-list status overnight. Years later, Hollywood’s It-Girl spiraled into a public decline, including a DUI arrest in 2007 and hospitalization on an involuntary psychiatric hold in 2009.
Gallagher, who played Sandy Cohen on the hit show, said of Barton in an interview, “I’ve always felt very protective of her.” Independent Published on 27 October. “The first fame is poisonous. First fame can kill you.”
The “A Bad Moms Christmas” actor continued, “She was 16 when she started working with us, so just the fact that she’s still alive, I’m very grateful.”
The Post has contacted Barton’s rep for comment.
The star has spoken openly about his struggles in the past. She once compared her 2009 “breakdown” to Angelina Jolie’s character in the 1999 film “Girl, Interrupted”.
“It was completely broken. It was scary. Girl Straight Outta, Interrupted, Barton told people In a 2013 cover story titled, “My Hollywood Nightmare.”
However, he clarified, “I never committed suicide. I was overworked and depressed.”
Barton revealed that she was “under extreme pressure” during that time and became obsessed with the lifestyle.
“We thought, ‘Work hard, work hard,'” she told the outlet, “but at a high moment a slip of the tongue occurs and you find yourself in that situation.”
Barton said that “Nobody (my parents) could prepare their kids to jump into the highly sexualized and crazy world of L.A.”
Comparing it to “a train I couldn’t get off,” she explained, “When you’re young, you can do that, but after a while, it’s going to wear on you. I don’t know how to get off alone. There was a need to live and be healthy.
Barton shared that this meant “trying to find balance,” adding, “I needed to take this time for myself… I’ve learned a lot.” I’m stronger now and excited for what’s next.”
However, having the perfect spot didn’t stop trolls from attacking her with comments about her weight.
“It was always, ‘She’s so thin, she’ll be sick,'” Barton recalled. “Then it was, ‘She’s too big.’ “I was never at the right weight.”
Last year, the actress admitted that she was “completely ready for that level of fame.”
“You can take therapy every day for the rest of your life,” Barton said. The Sunday Times In October 2023. “But what I’ve been through, especially in my early 20s, has left a certain amount of trauma that doesn’t go away overnight.”