Mischa Barton is joining the cast of The Hills, according to Page Six. On The Hills: New Beginnings, which will premiere in 2019, Barton will be joined by original cast members Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, Stephanie Pratt, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port, Jason Wahler, and Frankie Delgado. No Lauren Conrad, alas. Barton joining The Hills is both surprising and obvious all at the same time.
Barton originally starred on The O.C., which premiered in August 2003 and was such a big hit that it inspired a slew of knockoffs. One of those knockoffs was MTV’s semi-reality show Laguna Beach: The Real O.C., which premiered 13 months after The O.C.. Then Laguna Beach begat The Hills less than two years later. Also totally unscripted and completely organic, The Hills ran until 2010 and also led to some spin-offs that no one remembers.
Almost a decade later, Barton is in the news more often for her off-screen exploits than any of her chosen roles. The Hills: New Beginnings will allow Barton to play the role of a lifetime: Mischa Barton. That means she helped to popularize the original show that inspired the show that led to the show that could possibly revive her career. If they made a movie about this it would basically be Looper, but with more brunch.
