Mischa Barton claims in a new interview that she left "The O.C." during its height due to on-set "bullying."

In a chat with E! News, the actress didn't name who was behind the alleged toxic culture, but said it was "some of the men on set" of the show that aired from 2003 to 2007.
"I think that's the internal struggle," Mischa said. "There were people on that set that were very mean to me. It wasn't, like, the most ideal environment for a young, sensitive girl who's also been thrust into stardom to have to put up with."
Mischa was 17 years old when she played Marissa Cooper. The character was killed off during season 3. The tragic end to Marissa Cooper was shocking at the time, and the show's creator has even recently said that he questions if that was the right move.

Mischa is now open to speaking about her time on the show, based on where we are as a society.
"Now that we're living in this era where we do speak out about our experiences and women do come clean about what was really going on behind the scenes and how they were treated, it's a slightly different thing," she said.
While she's used to the limelight now, the 35-year-old actress noted how difficult it was to grow up in the public eye during her formative teen years both during and after "The O.C."
"Just dealing with like the amount of invasion I was having in my personal life, I just felt very unprotected, I guess is the best way to put it," she said.