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In an essay forHarper’s Bazaar U.K., published on Friday, Barton opened up about the personal impact some of her roles have had on her over the years.
Citing her time starring as Marissa Cooper on the former Fox series, the actress said she was “playing a confident character who was fast and loose” while she was “still a virgin” — which ultimately made her “feel like a fraud” since she wasn’t sexually active like her character.
“The kids in the show were quintessential rich, privileged American teenagers drinking, taking drugs, and of course having sex. I knew it was important to get this thing — my virginity — that was looming over me, the elephant in the room if you will, out of the way,” Barton, 35, recalled of the role she started playing at 17.
A rep for Barton didn’t immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment. The former show’s distributor, Warner Bros. Television, and a rep forO.C.creator-executive producerJosh Schwartzdeclined to comment.
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“While the crew did everything to ensure that I wasn’t exposed to the realities of what all that meant — when I did press for the film, it became clear that it was very mature content,” she wrote. “Two years later, I didPupswithBurt Reynolds. Lead roles in coming-of-age films are always directly tied to sex and sexuality, and this was a prime example. It was forPupsthat I had my first kiss on screen and in real life, in front of an entire crew.”
TheHills: New Beginningsalum added that herPupscharacter “had her first period in one scene,” which is something Barton hadn’t yet experienced in real life. “The movie blew up in Asia, and I became a strange sex symbol over there,” she said. “I was 13.”
Barton’s candid essay comes after she claimed to haveexperienced “bullying” from “some of the men on set"ofThe O.C.before her eventual exit.
“There were people on that set that were very mean to me,” she toldE! Newslast month. “It wasn’t, like, the most ideal environment for a young, sensitive girl who’s also been thrust into stardom to have to put up with.”
Barton starred onThe O.C.from the first season in 2003 until 2006’s season 3 when her character was killed off in a car crash.
source: people.com
