Long gone are the days when a scripted network show—on Fox, of all channels—was the hottest place for a burgeoning actor or established celebrity to be seen. But from 2003 to 2007, The O.C. was practically a magnet for buzzy musical acts, socialites, and even the creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies.
It was also an incubator for rising performers, like Olivia Wilde and Chris Pratt, who would eventually make their way to the silver screen, starring in (and directing) some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises. Ironically, many of these guests would ultimately become more successful than the show’s own beloved cast, which had seemed primed for A-list stardom. (Sorry, Ben McKenzie.)
In honor of The O.C.’s 20th anniversary this month, we’re revisiting the most noteworthy and surprising guest stars who stumbled through the prestigious zip code—starting with Star Lord himself.
Chris Pratt
It turns out that there was another annoying, deceivingly “woke” character on television named Che before the one on And Just Like That. In Season 4, a 27-year-old Chris Pratt played a student activist at Brown University who takes Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) under his wing before throwing her under the bus when they get into trouble. Ironically, Pratt, who became one of Marvel’s biggest stars, is currently known for being anything but left-wing.
Olivia Wilde
In a classically unfathomable teen-soap scenario, the future Don’t Worry Darling director and regular tabloid fixture played a teenage bartender named Alex Kelly, whose entire personality is that she’s cool. She worked at a club called the Bait Shop where several notable musical guests would perform and seemingly no one was carded. She dated both Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) and Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton) in Season 2.
Shailene Woodley
The Divergent star and notorious “wellness” junkie played Marissa Cooper’s little sister Kaitlyn before she was tragically Aunt Viv-ed—a.k.a. replaced by another actress (Willa Holland) in later seasons. It turns out Woodley was a victim of television’s teenage-casting problem, in that she somehow looked too young to play an adolescent. There don’t seem to be any hard feelings though, as Woodley called her short-lived run on The O.C. her “proudest accomplishment.”
Bella Thorne
The former Disney Channel star played a young version of late-stage character Taylor Townsend in Season 4. Since then, she stirred up controversy as one of the first celebrities to utilize OnlyFans.
Paul Wesley
Before he played the hottest “teen” vampire who wasn’t Edward Cullen on the CW show The Vampire Diaries, Paul Wesley was one of the many insolent teen boys on The O.C. who turned out to be extremely violent. In a short but memorable appearance in Season 1, he pulls out a gun at a party and ends up accidentally shooting Luke Ward (Chris Carmack) in the arm.
Annalynne McCord
Prior to her role as villain Naomi in the CW’s 90210 reboot and that wild Vladmir Putin video, Annalynne McCord could be seen making out with Kevin Volchok (Cam Gigandet) at a party in Season 3.
Cam Gigandet
Speaking of which, Cam Gigandet had a really hot streak in the early 2000s, starring in Burlesque, The Roommate, and Easy A. Before then, he played the confrontational surfer Kevin Volchok in Seasons 3 and 4. He has a tumultuous relationship with Marissa and a rivalry with Ryan.
Jackson Rathbone
Jackson Rathbone, who went on to play introverted vampire Jasper Hale in the Twilight Saga, played the new Kaitlin’s boarding-school boyfriend in Season 4.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
The Walking Dead actor showed up in Season 2 as Sandy Cohen’s (Peter Gallagher) incarcerated friend Joe Zukowski. He’s stayed connected to the world of teen soaps through his marriage to One Tree Hill star Hilarie Burton.
Morena Baccarin
The Deadpool actress had a minor role as a lawyer named Maya Griffin, who was also the girlfriend of Matt Ramsey (Jeff Hephner), who works at Sandy’s firm. In a lovely turn of events, she’s currently married to Ryan Atwood himself, Ben McKenzie, who she started dating while working together on the Fox show Gotham.
Olivia Wilde and Mischa Barton in The O.C.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett CollectionLucy Hale
The Pretty Little Liars actress played Kaitlin’s boarding school roommate Hadley Hawthorne before starring in one of the most popular high-school shows of the 21st century. Her character’s father was both the creator of the fake, meta reality show called The Valley and the owner of the trailer park where the Coopers lived outside of Newport Beach in Season 3.
Max Greenfield
Before leading a successful Fox show of his own, Greenfied played a younger version of Sandy in a flashback episode in Season 4. Peter Gallagher would return the favor on Greenfield’s show New Girl, playing his character Schmidt’s father in four episodes.
Kat Graham
The Vampire Diaries star and “Put Your Graffiti on Me” singer had a small part in Season 3 as a girl named Kim, who calls Ryan when a party gets out of hand.
Logan Marshall-Green
The Tom Hardy lookalike, who later starred in the films Devil and Prometheus, replaced actor Bradely Stryker in the role of Ryan’s bad-boy brother Trey Atwood in Seasons 2 and 3. He’s another O.C. star to break into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portraying the Shocker in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Nikki Reed
Nikki Reed had already starred in and co-written the award-winning Thirteen when she stumbled onto The O.C. But presumably, her role as Ryan Atwood’s brief love interest Sadie Campbell in Season 3 helped cement her teen-idol status. She would also go on to star as Rosalie Hale in the Twilight Saga.
Amber Heard
In one of her first television appearances, the Aquaman actress got a few seconds of screen time playing a sassy mall employee in Season 1. Unfortunately, as of late, her acting career has been overshadowed by a tumultuous marriage with her former husband, actor Johnny Depp, which resulted in one of the biggest celebrity trials in recent memory.
