The O.C. is widely credited with launching the careers of Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Olivia Wilde, and Rachel Bilson, but did you know that it also launched the career of new Hollywood “it”; girl Shailene Woodley?
A decade before landing the lead role in Divergent, Woodley played Mischa Barton’s sister on the hit WB series. She appeared in six episodes of the first season, but was written out of season two. (Her character was shipped off to boarding school). When her character was re-introduced later in the series, the producers decided to hire a different actress.
“I was 11 and I was on as a guest, recurring character, or whatever,”; Woodley said in an interview with Moviefone in 2011. “My character went to boarding school and when they decided to bring her back, they actually re-auditioned me to bring her back. But I didn’t go through puberty until late: I was the 15-year-old who had no boobs. So, at 11, I was like a little mouse-child. I looked like an 8-year-old. So, there was no weirdness when Willa Holland got it because she was so obviously right for the role…and I was so obviously not.”;
But it seems that Woodley has had the last laugh. The 22-year-old is the only actor to appear on The O.C. to receive an Oscar nomination or headline a franchise that’s expected to do Hunger Games-levels of business.
