Peter Gallagher is ‘grateful’ Mischa Barton is ‘still alive’ after dealing with ‘toxic’ fame

Peter Gallagher is “grateful” Mischa Barton is “still alive.”

The 69-year-old character said astir Barton, who was his co-star successful “The O.C.,” revealing nan level of fame she was dealing pinch astatine an early property “can termination you.”

Barton, now 38, was conscionable 16 erstwhile she was formed arsenic Marissa Cooper successful Josh Schwartz’s early ’00s teen play that launched her into A-list position overnight. Years later, nan Hollywood it-girl went connected a nationalist downward spiral, which included a DUI apprehension successful 2007 and being hospitalized connected a 5150 involuntary psychiatric clasp successful 2009.

“I’ve ever felt very protective of her,” Gallagher, who played Sandy Cohen successful nan deed show, said of Barton successful an question and reply pinch The Independent published connected Oct. 27. “First fame is toxic. First fame tin termination you.” 

The “A Bad Moms Christmas” character went connected to explain, “She was 16 years aged erstwhile she started moving pinch us, truthful conscionable nan truth that she’s still alive, I’m conscionable truthful grateful.”

The Post has reached retired to Barton’s rep for comment.

The prima has opened up astir her struggles successful nan past. She erstwhile compared her 2009 “breakdown” to Angelina Jolie’s characteristic successful nan 1999 film, “Girl, Interrupted.”

“It was a full-on breakdown. It was terrifying. Straight retired of Girl, Interrupted,” Barton told People successful a 2013 screen communicative titled, “My Hollywood Nightmare.”

However, she clarified, “I was ne'er suicidal. I was conscionable overworked and depressed.”

Barton revealed she was “under tremendous pressure” during that clip and sewage carried distant pinch nan lifestyle.

“We thought, ‘Work hard, play hard,'” she told nan outlet, adding, “But 1 gaffe of nan lingua successful a heightened infinitesimal and you find yourself successful that situation.”

Barton said that “nothing could hole [my parents] to person their children jump into nan overtly sexualized and crazy world of L.A.”

Comparing it to “a train I could not get disconnected of,” she explained, “When you’re young, you tin do it, but aft a while, it’s going to travel crashing down connected you. I needed to beryllium connected my ain and get healthy.”

Barton shared that meant trying “to beryllium balanced,” adding, “I needed to return this clip for maine … I’ve learned a lot. I’m stronger now, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”

However, getting her caput abstraction correct didn’t extremity trolls from attacking her pinch comments astir her weight.

“It was always, ‘She’s excessively skinny, she must beryllium sick,'” Barton recalled. “Then it was, ‘She’s excessively big.’ I was ne'er nan correct weight.”

Last year, nan character admitted she “fully prepared for that level of fame.” 

“You tin spell to therapy each time for nan remainder of your life,” Barton told The Sunday Times successful Oct. 2023. “But there’s conscionable a definite magnitude of trauma [from] each that I went through, peculiarly successful my early 20s, that conscionable doesn’t spell distant overnight.”