Peter Gallagher is grateful Mischa Barton is ‘still alive’ after dealing with ‘toxic’ fame as a teen star

Peter Gallagher is ‘grateful’ Mischa Barton is ‘still alive’ after dealing with ‘toxic’ fame as a teenage star.

Mischa, now 38, was just 16 when she landed the role of Marissa Cooper on the hit TV show The OC and faced personal problems, including a DUI arrest in 2007 and a hospital stay for mental health reasons two years later.

Her former TV dad Peter admits the actress is lucky to have survived after being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age.

Peter, 69, told us The independent‘I’ve always felt very protective of her. First fame is poisonous. First fame can kill you.

“She was 16 years old when she started working with us, so just the fact that she’s still alive makes me so grateful.”

Opening up about her 2009 hospital stay, Mischa revealed she had a “breakdown” and compared her experience to Angelina Jolie’s 1999 film Girl, Interrupted.

‘It was a total breakdown. It was terrifying. Straight from Girl, interrupted. Story of my life… I was never suicidal. “I was just overworked and depressed,” she said People.

“We thought, ‘Work hard, play hard,’” she said, adding, “But one slip of the tongue at an elevated moment and you’re in that situation,” she explained.

‘At first I was deeply hurt, but then I accepted that this was the time I had to be away from my family and all the pressure. I was through the wringer.”

Mischa further admitted that living a “jet-set lifestyle” in the public eye contributed to her problems and that she needed time to recover.

She said, “Nothing could prepare [my parents] to let their kids jump into the overtly sexualized and crazy world of LA

‘It was a train I couldn’t get off. When you are young you can do it, but after a while it will come down to you. I had to be on my own and get healthy.

“I’m just trying to be balanced…I had to take this time for myself…I’ve learned a lot. I’m stronger now and I’m excited about what lies ahead.”

Her former TV dad Peter, 69, admits the actress is lucky to have survived after being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age. Seen here in 2024

Mischa, now 38, was just 16 when she landed the role of Marissa Cooper on the hit TV show The OC. Watching here in 2024

Peter told The Independent: ‘I’ve always felt very protective of her. First fame is poisonous. First fame can kill you

“She was 16 years old when she started working with us, so just the fact that she’s still alive, I’m so grateful.”

Opening up about her 2009 hospital stay, Mischa revealed she had a “breakdown” and compared her experience to Angelina Jolie’s 1999 film Girl, Interrupted.

‘It was a total breakdown. It was terrifying. Straight from Girl, interrupted. Story of my life… I was never suicidal. I was just overworked and depressed,” she told People

And once she got her mental health in order, she had to deal with all the comments about her weight.

“It was always, ‘She’s too skinny, she must be sick,’” Barton said. “Then it was, ‘She’s too big.’ I was never the right weight.”

But everything she experienced ultimately had a good impact on her life.

“I learned a lot,” she said. ‘I’m stronger now.’