It’s been more than 18 years since The O.C. first premiered on TV. Starring Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Ben McKenzieAdam Brody, Peter Gallagher, Tate Donovan and Chris Carmack, the show was seriously iconic and still lives up to the hype with it’s early 2000s fashion that’s slowing coming back into style! For those who forgot, the show followed the story of a troubled teenager named who finds himself living with a wealthy family in Newport Beach, California after he moves out of his house.

“I feel proud of her,” Rachel told The Observer of her fan-favorite The O.C. character, Summer Roberts. “The main thread that kind of goes through the whole series is how strong she is, and I love that. Just to see how far she goes, I feel proud. You know, I have a daughter, and I’m like, okay, if she watches [The O.C.] someday, she can see the arc and the growth you can have as a human, which is cool.”

The actress is currently rewatching the show that launched her career along with fans for her podcast, “Welcome to the OC, Bitches!”

“I’ve learned that I actually have zero memory and don’t remember most of the things that happened on this show. So I’m kind of going through this with everyone else, re-watching it, discovering it,” Rachel also told Entertainment Tonight in an April 2021 interview. “I wouldn’t even say rediscovering it, [I’m] discovering it for the first time!”

She added, “More than anything it’s just been a lot of fun. We were all going through it together and we really did love each other and we were so fortunate to have such an amazing group.”

Aside from the The O.C. stars that fans know and love, tons of famous faces appeared on the series before their big break. This may be hard to believe, but before they were household names, some of your favorite stars like Bella Thorne, Lucy Hale, Shailene Woodley, Pretty Little Liars stars Ashley Benson and Lucy Hale both made an appearance, Tiffany Thorton, and even The Vampire Diaries actors Kat Graham and Paul Wesley had roles, among others. These big names got their start as guest stars in various episode of the fan-favorite show. Thinking of binge-watching The O.C.? Well, you may see some familiar faces along the way! Scroll through our gallery to check out all the celebs you never knew started in the classic 2000s series. 

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