Mischa Barton Confirmed That She and Ben McKenzie Dated While Filming 'The O.C.'

It turns out California's original star-crossed lovers took their romance beyond Harbor and the pier. Mischa Barton, who played Marissa Cooper on the hit early aughts show The O.C., gave a rare interview on Wednesday's episode of Call Her Daddy and confirmed that she and co-star Ben McKenzie (who played her character's on-screen love interest Ryan Atwood) dated in real life.

“It wasn’t just on-screen either," she revealed to host Alex Cooper. "It was kind of complicated for me because I went into that a virgin, a kid, really feeling like I needed to grow up quickly."

At the time, fans speculated there was romance between the co-stars, though they denied the rumors. During the podcast, Barton explained the whirlwind relationship took place when filming the first season. She also revealed that she lost her virginity while filming the beloved teen drama, though she didn't explicitly confirm if it was with McKenzie. She was just 17 at the time, and McKenzie was 25 when he was cast.

“I had no idea about relationships at all or sex, so it was kind of just a whole learning curve for me," she said. When she ultimately decided to call it quits, things got dicey on set. "We threw ourselves all into it very fast, and then when you break up and things don’t work, they see you dating other people. it was definitely tricky that it happened right out of the gate. And that I felt overwhelmed and not ready for any of that."

After they split, Barton recalled there being a lot of hostility between the two — there would be off-camera "jabs" and "jokes" with the other cast and crew on set. But their disdain for each other is really what fueled their on-screen chemistry. "I think he was like really angry with me to begin with, and I felt the punishment of that," she said. "I felt that from the producers as well that they were not happy about that. But there was such great chemistry between the characters, and I think people did fall in love with them because there was genuine friendship and love there on some level."

“That sexual tension was there, it reads," she added. "Even when you’re looking at the scenes on the Ferris wheel and stuff, I think we kind of hated each other at that point, but there was still this intense kind of tension there, and so it really worked for the show."

Barton added that her and McKenzie's age difference was also a concern for production. "The producers went to my parents. It was kind of a whole ordeal."

Barton eventually left the show at the end of season 3 (in a heart-wrenching plot twist that we're still not over), and even though there was drama between the cast mates (her co-stars Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody also dated), there are moments they still remember fondly.

"I remember Rachel saying to me recently, she looks back at the scene when we’re all playing chicken in the pool, and those were genuinely happy moments when we would forget about all the pressure that was on us," she said. "It was really hard because you would be out getting photographed with different people, and I did start dating, and then you try not to bring that on set. You just try to let it go at the door and get on with it and keep working.”