Mischa Barton, who became a 2000s pop culture icon after playing Marissa Cooper in the teen drama The OC, will be joining the cast of Neighbours as a guest star.
The show announced Barton, a household name among millennials, would be making an appearance on Twitter this morning.
"We are excited to announce Mischa Barton will be joining the #Neighbours cast as a guest star, playing the character Reece, an American new to Erinsborough who's not quite who she appears to be…" the show's official Twitter account said.
Barton's rise to fame
Barton has been acting since she was a child.
In the late 90s, she played the ghost of a child poisoned by her mother in The Sixth Sense.
She also made a scene-stealing cameo as a child superstar being interviewed by Hugh Grant's bumbling character in the romantic comedy Notting Hill.
But it was her role on The OC that shot her to fame — and made her a target of ruthless celebrity gossip blogs.
This was something she addressed when she appeared in the 2019 reboot of the Hollywood reality series The Hills.
Since leaving the OC, Barton has appeared in stage productions including Where the Truth Lies, Twelve Dreams, and One Flea Spare.
She's also worked on independent film projects including Papa, Ouija House and The Toybox.
Now she's headed to Ramsay Street, in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough, to join one of Australia's most endearing entertainment exports.
"I'm excited to be part of this iconic show's next chapter, and I am really looking forward to being back in Australia -- a place I know and love," Barton said in a statement.
"I think the character of Reece is going to be a great role for me to explore and play with."
A Neighbours—OC connection
Barton isn't the only star with both Neighbours and The OC credits to her name.
Alan Dale, who also appeared on Lost, Ugly Betty and The Young Doctors, played Caleb Nicol on The OC.
In The OC, Dale's character became Barton's stepfather, leaving the show after his character died from a heart attack in the second season.
Dale, a New Zealand actor, played Jim Robinson on Neighbours for eight years before his character died of a heart attack in 1993.
However, he reprised his role for a Christmas special in 2018, appearing to his character's son Paul Robinson in a vision.
Wait, wasn't Neighbours axed?
Yes, but it's back in production again.
Neighbours was cancelled last year after Britain's Channel 5 announced it would be dropping it.
The show's producers Fremantle Media were unable to secure a replacement broadcaster and, after 37 years, the show came to an end.
Stars who made their start on the Melbourne soap opera returned for the final episodes, including big names like Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan and Delta Goodrem.
Those final episodes aired in July attracting 1.148 million viewers in Australia — the most watched program on television that night.
But by November, the show's creators confirmed Neighbours was coming back.
Fremantle Media partnered with Amazon Freevee, streaming the series on Prime Video in Australia as well as on Amazon Freevee in the US and UK.
It will also be back on Channel 10.
So is Neighbours back on?
Not yet.
It only start filming again yesterday.
We don't have a specific start date, but it's slated to return in the second half of the year.
An Amazon press release said the "revitalised series" would be a continuation of the show.
Bringing a big name like Barton to Ramsay Street may help the show attract new audiences in the US and Canada.
"With Neighbours launching on Amazon Freevee in North America, we are beyond excited to have an actor of Mischa's calibre join us for the beginning of this exciting new chapter," the show's executive producer Jason Herbison said.
"Mischa’s character is dynamic and unpredictable, and will have an instant presence on Ramsay Street.
"Our loyal viewers are going to love her, locally and abroad."
