Rachel Bilson Says She Was Asked to Join The Hills: New Beginnings Before Mischa Barton

It looks like MTV producers were determined to have a member of "The O.C." as part of the revival cast for its reality series "The Hills: New Beginnings." While Mischa Barton ultimately joined, Rachel Bilson says she was actually approached first.

Bilson made the claim during the latest episode of her podcast, "Welcome to the OC, Bitches!"

"I was actually asked to be on 'The Hills,'" she shared with her co-host Melinda Clarke and their guest, Danny Pellegrino, "But I graciously passed." She said that after she passed on the offer, the show's producers approached Barton.

As for why, it could come down to a simple matter of it making very little sense for her to step into a show alongside a cast who mostly had a shared history when she had absolutely none with them.

"I don't know any of them," she said of the cast. The closest she comes to familiarity with anyone from the classic late 2000s MTV series is someone who wasn't even set to be part of the new take.

"I’ve met Lauren Conrad before, but she’s not even on [the new] show," said Bilson. "I like Lauren a lot. I know her a little, tiny bit and she’s cool. But I don’t know anyone from 'The Hills,' no."

The desire to bring someone from "The O.C." into the franchise does make sense, as the mid-2000s teen drama was a direct inspiration for "Hills'" parent series, "Laguna Beach."

Fans got their "O.C." fix when "The Hills: New Beginnings" launched two years ago, but only for a little while.

Much like she did with "The O.C.," Barton left "The Hills: New Beginnings" after its first season. In one of the more memorable television departures, Barton's character was killed off in a horrific car accident at the end of the third season on "The O.C."