Mischa Barton

Mischa Barton’s star burnt brightest during her run as damsel in distress Marissa Cooper on FOX’s teen drama, The O.C. The willowy blonde became the show’s breakout star, a Neutrogena girl and oft-photographed Hollywood scenester.

The starlet, who got her beak on Broadway at age 9, eventually yearned to make her mark beyond the tube: Marissa was killed on The O.C in 2006 – before FOX killed the show altogether – and she worked tirelessly on a slew of indie flicks.

Although Barton, who’s dated billionaire heir Brandon Davis and rocker Cisco Adler, has yet to garner fame on the silver screen, she has launched into the headlines with a 2008 DUI arrest and 2009 stay under psychiatric hold.



Her show The Beautiful Life was cancelled almost before it began, but that didn't stop Mischa Barton from resuming her own beautiful life on Monday night at a party in New York City.

Demonstrating that she'd regained her model figure with a Versace gown at the Whitney Museum Gala, Barton, 23, said she doesn't mind not working for the small screen anymore.

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"I think I need to back away from the whole TV approach," she said. "That whole world of network television, probably isn't, for me, a good idea now. I need to start reading for more serious roles."

But she's not sure exactly what the next project will be.

"It's too early to tell yet," she said. "I'm passing on all the [early] offers, because that's not the stuff you want to do. I want to go fight for interesting things and look for something that's going to be interesting for me ... as a role."

For now, her focus is on her body – she said she regularly works out with girlfriends – and on embracing life in Gotham.

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"Reading scripts and enjoying living in New York," she said, calling her break from work "lovely." "Now that I'm not doing the TV show, I've got lots of time to work out."