Not in the reality TV loop! Ben McKenzie isn’t aware of his former O.C. costar Mischa Barton’s newest gig.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” the Southland alum, 40, quipped to Us Weekly at the Meanwhile, Back in Gotham: Preview Screening in New York on Wednesday, December 12, when asked about Barton’s upcoming role on the revival of the MTV reality show, The Hills: New Beginnings.
McKenzie (Ryan Atwood) and Barton (Marissa Cooper) starred alongside each other on the Fox teenage drama series for three seasons from 2003 to 2006. The popular series was the inspiration for the MTV reality show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which led to the The Hills.
Barton, 32, meanwhile confirmed in October that she’d be joining the reboot of The Hills.
“The secret’s out… I’m joining the cast of The Hills,” she wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “When MTV approached me with the chance to be part of the reality show that was inspired by The OC, it felt like the perfect opportunity for an irresistibly inviting new chapter.”
A source told Us earlier this year that her new adventure on the show “is going to document her comeback,” adding that “hopefully people will see her in a new light and not just because of personal problems in the years past.”
Barton will be joined by original cast members, including Brody Jenner (his wife, Kaitlynn Carter, will join as well), Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Stephanie Pratt, Audrina Patridge, Justin Bobby Brescia, Jason Wahler and Whitney Port.
