Rachel Bilson and Mischa Barton get emotional as they watch iconic O.C death scene

Some of cast from the hit teen drama The O.C. reunited to re-watch Marissa Cooper’s tragic death scene.

Rachel Bilson and Melina Clarke, who host the podcast Welcome to the O.C., B***hes, welcomed their former co-star Mischa Barton.

Barton, 36, and Clarke, 53, played mother and daughter duo Marissa and Julie Cooper, while Bilson, 41, starred as Summer Roberts.

The beloved series aired four seasons between 2003 and 2007 before its cancellation, however, Barton left the show at the end of the third season in May 2006.

In the latest episode of the podcast, which debuted on Tuesday (10 January), the group discussed the season three finale when Marissa dies in a car accident, before deciding to watch the scene together.

And it seemed to be an emotional viewing for the actors.

The heartbreaking clip sees Ryan (Ben McKenzie) and Marissa driving together when Volchok, played by Cam Gigandet, drives into them.

Ryan is able to save an unconscious Marissa from the wrecked car before it explodes, but she sadly passes away in his arms shortly after.

“I think I've probably only seen it once in my life,” Barton admitted.

Welcome to The O.C., B***hes podcast

She also recalled the experience of shooting the scene. "I was like, 'More blood, more blood,'" she said. “It was going to border on being, like, a TV death and I really wanted it to be super dramatic and as realistic as you can get for The O.C. so that she went out with a bang.”

As the trio watch Marissa’s final moments in which the car rolls down the hill, Barton remarked: “Poor Marissa, she really goes through it.”

However she admitted that she doesn’t remember the fire.

“I guess because I’m playing dead,” she added with a laugh.

But Bilson is soon in tears as they watch Marissa ask Ryan to 'stay with her' before she dies.

“It’s the culmination of their whole love story. That middle part is really painful when. She asks him to stay with her.”

The Hills: New Beginnings star also becomes emotional as she watches her character take her last breath.

“I don’t want to see the part where he gets all emotional. I’m done now.

Fox

“That really is, like, intense.” she said.

It was previously unclear why Barton decided to leave the show.

But, in 2021, the British-American actor revealed her reasons that lead to her leaving The O.C.

Barton claimed that, by the third season, filming had become 'much harder' and she didn’t see a path for her character’s future. She also said that she decided to step away because she was apparently turning down leading roles in big films due to her O.C. filming commitments.

"I just didn't feel I could keep going," she told E! "This has been said before, but they kind of gave me an option.

'The producers were like, 'Well, do you want your job and to sail off into the sunset and potentially you can come back in the future in some bizarre TV scenario or we can kill your character off and you can go on with your career that you want and what you want to do?'"

Warner Bros Television declined E!'s request for comment at the time.

UNILAD has reached out to WBTV and Fox for additional comment.