What are the cast of The OC up to now? ☀️ 👀

Is Sandy Cohen still a dilf?

marissa cooper

by Polly Foreman |
Updated on

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.

The OC
Welcome to The OC, bitch ©College Hill Pictures, Inc.

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

Gallery

Where are the cast of The OC now?

Ben McKenzie (Ryan Attwood) then1 of 22

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) now2 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then3 of 22

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) now4 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then5 of 22

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) now6 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then7 of 22

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) now8 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then9 of 22

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) then10 of 22

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) then11 of 22

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) now12 of 22

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) then13 of 22

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) now14 of 22

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) then15 of 22

Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen) then

Sandy Cohen played the OG Dilf Sandy Cohen, and we're still obsessed.

Peter Gallagher (Sandy Cohen) now16 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then17 of 22

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) now18 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then19 of 22

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) now20 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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) then21 of 22

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) now22 of 22
CREDIT: REX/Shutterstock

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.

The OC
The fab four off to college ©College Hill Pictures, Inc.

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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.

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