Rachel Bilson Recalls "Tension" With The O.C. Co-Star Samaire Armstrong Over Adam Brody

Nearly two decades after they starred together on The O.C., Rachel Bilson revealed there was a real-life love triangle between her, Adam Brody and Samaire Armstrong.

By Samantha Schnurr Jul 07, 2021 5:35 PMTags
Watch: Would Rachel Bilson Do a Revival of "The O.C.?"

For Rachel Bilson, life was imitating art on The O.C.

As fans of the hit 2000s teen drama will easily recall, Rachel and Samaire Armstrong's characters Summer and Anna were both involved with Adam Brody's character Seth in the course of the show. But as Rachel revealed during the latest episode of her Welcome to the OC, Bitches! podcast, there was a bit of a triangle taking shape behind the scenes, too. 

While discussing the 11th episode of the first season, "The Homecoming," one scene really got her attention. "When Seth is in the bedroom with Anna and she goes to kiss him, I see Samaire like slip tongue," she accused. "I get transported back to 18 years ago and I get a little jealous."

In Rachel's words, "It was like the real-life triangle playing out as I'm watching it."

Uh, does she mean what we think she means? "I feel like it definitely played out a little bit in real life for a minute," Rachel reiterated, "even though not really really, but I remember the tension with Samaire and I like a little bit."

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The O.C.: Where Are They Now?

Whatever the case, it was Rachel and Adam who ended up dating in the first season and split shortly before the show's fourth season finale.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

"We broke up at the very end, so there wasn't much [to film] after the breakup," she recalled on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast in March. "We did get married after we broke up on the show, so that's always fun...That was like the only scene left to shoot was the wedding. You broke up? Let's give you a wedding!"

Still, it doesn't sound like the star has any regrets. "Because of what the show was and how young we all were, going through it with someone experiencing the same thing and having that kind of support was really awesome," she told Nylon of dating Adam while filming the show. "I'm actually grateful that I did have it."

"It was definitely a unique experience and I don't think anyone else could have really understood it had they not been in it," she continued, "so for that reason, it was super helpful and supportive, and I have total gratitude for the whole experience."