Alan Dale’s Reaction to Mischa Barton and Ben McKenzie’s Romance
The OC star Alan Dale has addressed Mischa Barton and Ben McKenzie’s romance on set, admitting he was left ‘disappointed’ to hear about it, more than a decade later.
Background
The Neighbours actor, 76, starred as Caleb Nichol in the hit noughties series, which saw Mischa play girl-next-door Marissa Cooper and Ben as troubled teen Ryan Atwood.
Mischa Barton’s Confirmation
At the time of filming, Mischa was 17 while Ben was in his mid-20s. However, she’s now confirmed the long-standing speculation that they were romantically involved, despite concerns over their age gap.
She said: ‘I think that kind of set things off on the wrong foot too because… we threw ourselves all into it very fast… It definitely was tricky that it happened right out of the gate and I felt overwhelmed and not ready for any of that.’
Alan Dale’s Perspective
Having played Mischa’s stepfather in the teen drama, Alan has now revealed he had no idea what was going on, revealing his concern for her.
In an exclusive chat with Metro.co.uk, the Wreck actor said: ‘I didn’t know about the thing with Ben. I did see that article, and I was a bit disappointed really.
‘I did, however, remember that they were already a bit dismissive of her, and the kids, and what I felt about that was – at the time and I still feel – that they were very young.
‘I mean, they were still only 24/25 but she was 18. You know, so that’s a big gap at that age.’
He went on: ‘I worry about her future really, because there’s no point hanging on to that sort of stuff.’
‘I’m sorry about that with Mischa,’ Alan added.
Alan Dale’s Current Role
After starring as Jim Robinson for more than a decade, then turning to the likes of Ugly Betty and The West Wing, Alan is now taking on a very different role, though admitted Caleb remains his ‘favourite character’.
‘My favourite character apart from King Arthur on Spamalot, he was my favourite really. All through all of it, he was an evil bastard,’ he told us.
Wreck Series and New Role
Comedy-horror series Wreck, returning for its second season, sees Alan join the cast and is set in the months after the events of the first instalment’s shocking conclusion, taking place at a ‘wellness’ festival this time.
Talking about his new role, he told us: ‘First of all I didn’t know about Wreck at all when I was asked to be a part of it, and so I watched the first season, not all of it, just a few episodes to see what it was about, and really didn’t understand what it was about, but it was funny and horrifying like it was supposed to be.
