We don’t mean to alarm you, but it’s been 14 whole years since The OC first graced our screens, and we still haven’t got over the absolute shock that was Marissa Cooper’s death. And the even bigger shock that Ryan Atwood and Taylor Townsend got together.
That storyline was even more unrealistic than Julie Cooper getting together with Ryan’s dad.
Anyway. Because it’s been so ruddy long since the show was created, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane and find out what the cast are all up to now.
And you’ll all be very sad to know Seth and Summer are no longer together. FFS.
ALSO, full disclaimer: it's totally okay to lust after 00s Ryan and Seth in our twenties because, as with all good American teen dramas, the actors were all about ten years older than their characters anyway.
So on that note: enjoy!
The OC cast: then and now
Where are the cast of The OC now?
Ben McKenzie (Ryan Attwood) then
Here's Ryan 'from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks' Atwood back in the day. Phwoar.
Ben McKenzie (Ryan Attwood) now
And here is is now. Still phwoar. Is it just us, or does he look essentially the same?Since leaving The OC, Ben has continued to act starring in such films as 2013's The Advocate and Batman: Year One. He's had major success on the small screen, with lead roles in Southland, Gotham, and Line of Duty.
Adam Brody (Seth Cohen) then
You were either a Seth girl or a Ryan girl, and Seth was the whiny, nerdy, but sweet-natured type with a very specific (read: inexplicable) type of sex appeal.Not anymore.
Adam Brody (Seth Cohen) now
BLOODY HELL, WOULD YOU LOOK HOW FIT HE'S GOT? Since leaving the show, Adam has had a number of smaller parts in a range of indie films and series, most recently alongside Cate Blanchett in Mrs America.He's married to Leighton Meester who played Blair in Gossip Girl and they have a child together.
Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper) then
Here's Marissa Cooper. We really wanted to be her back in the day, but looking back she was very much not OK and we're very glad we weren't.
Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper) now
Here's Mischa now, and can we all just take a moment to APPRECIATE THAT DOG. Since leaving The OC, Mischa has appeared in loads of films, in particular a load of moderately successful American slasher films for some reason and our personal fave, St Trinian's. She was also a contestant on Dancing With The Stars in the US.
Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts) then
Rachel Bilson played Seth's girlfriend Summer Roberts, and the pair actually dated IRL while filming the show.
Rachel Bilson (Summer Roberts) now
Rachel later starred in films like The Jumper and The Last Kiss, and had recurring roles on American sitcoms How I Met Your Mother, Nashville and Hart of Dixie.
Willa Holland (Kaitlin Cooper) then
Willa played Marissa's younger sister Kaitlin, who had an absolute mare in season two when she was shipped off to boarding school and seemingly didn't see her family for about 10 years. But she returned in series four after her sister died to wreak havoc.
Willa Holland (Kaitlin Cooper) then
After leaving the show, Willa appeared on a number of TV shows - notably (for us) Gossip Girl, in which she played Agnes (the one that burned all of lil J's dresses).
Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend) then
Autumn played the quite frankly extremely irritating character Taylor Townsend, who inexplicably ended up with Ryan at the end following Marissa's untimely death.
Autumn Reeser (Taylor Townsend) now
Autumn has appeared in a number of films and series since leaving The OC, and was also one of the leading members of The Thrilling Adventure Hour, a staged comedy show. She also starred alongside the actual Tom Hanks in 2016's Sully, which was nominated for an Oscar.
Chris Carmack (Luke Ward) then
Chris played Luke Ward, who had possibly the biggest personality change of any character ever, and was responsible for the iconic line, "Welcome to The OC, bitch".
Chris Carmack (Luke Ward) now
Chris is now a successful musician, and he's also appeared in films like The Butterfly Effect 3 and The Reef.
Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen) then
Sandy Cohen played the OG Dilf Sandy Cohen, and we're still obsessed.
Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen) now
YEP. STILL (sort of) A DILF (would we push GRILF? Who knows). He was already a well known actor when he joined the cast, having starred in 1999s smash hit Black Beauty, and his continued to have a successful career since with recurring roles in Grace & Frankie, Law & Order, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and loads more.He's also starred on Broadway.
Kelly Rowan (Kirsten Cohen) then
Kelly played Seth's alcoholic mother Kirsten, who went on to have another baby at the end of the series.
Kelly Rowan (Kirsten Cohen) now
Kelly's taken a step away from acting with her last film credit, Tulips in Spring, from 2016. Before that she had a recurring role on TV series Perception, as well as one-offs on CSI: Miami and The Murdoch Mysteries.
Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper) then
Melinda played the absolute queen of Juicy Couture tracksuits Julie Cooper, who, like Luke, had a massive personality transplant throughout the series but was hands down one of our favourite characters (and possibly the best villain ever).
Melinda Clarke (Julie Cooper) now
Melinda has subsequently starred in loads of TV series including Entourage, Nikita, Dallas and The Vampire Diaries (to name a few). She's got a few film credits under her (designer) belt, too, like 2017's Enough About You.
Tate Donovan (Jimmy Cooper) then
Tate Donovan (or JOSHUAAAA from Friends, as we know him) played Marissa's dad Jimmy. Also a Dilf.
Tate Donovan (Jimmy Cooper) now
Tate has since appeared in a number of films - including Oscar winning Manchester By The Sea - and continues to have bit-parts in various TV and short films. His last recurring role was as James MacGyver in CBS's MacGyver.
Speaking of telly nostalgia we were legit THRILLED to learn that there's going to be a Clueless reboot, 25 years after the OG film was released (yes, you are old - sorry 'bout it).
The classic, which was released in 1995 and starred Alicia Silverstone as Cher, was a modernised version of Jane Austen's Emma; and fans of the film are still totally in love with it now.
The film already spawned one TV series, and if the Peacock streaming service has its way, a second show will arrive – with a twist... This version will be totally about Cher's best pal, Dionne, played in the film by Stacey Dash.
Look! More news!
The new take on the story is being described as "a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sun-glasses wearing, oat milk latte and Adderall-fueled look at what happens when queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong number two Dionne steps into Cher’s vacant Air Jordans.
"How does Dionne deal with the pressures of being the new most popular girl in school, while also unravelling the mystery of what happened to her best friend?"
We're already hooked, tbh.