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Mischa Barton disliked competing on Dancing With The Stars earlier this year and it showed in her poor performance. She seemed unhappy to be there and she got voted off second, after Geraldo Rivera. A lot of that may have had to do with the fact that she has few fans left from The O.C. and whatever career she’s had since, but she also failed to win over viewers and generally had a bad attitude. In a new interview with The Ringer, Mischa explained her turn on DWTS as something like The Hunger Games and she even used that comparison – she was swept up in, she had absolutely no say in how it went, and she was glad to leave. At least she was honest. Mischa is current hosting a car show on the Esquire network called Joyride. She owns a vintage Cadillac, she allegedly fixed it the day of the interview, and it’s a hobby of hers. During her interview with Ringer she took the journalist for a ride in her Cadillac and they visited the Peterson Automobile Museum, which sounded particularly fun for Mischa.

On her turn on DWTS
I had no idea it would be so bad. I got told off by my dancer. I was supposed to control the costumes, I was told that I could do the design aspect of it, that’s kind of the reason why I agreed to do it

She was told she would have creative control with DWTS
That didn’t happen. It wasn’t collaborative like a choreographer on a film set. … I was so confused by it. It was like The Hunger Games. It was all a popularity contest. It was awful. I was so glad to get kicked off.

She likes using Instagram
I remember the days when you had no voice, and they could make up stories and say whatever they wanted, and now at least they have an insight into your life. People can see what you’re really like. Twitter less so, but Instagram has an artistic side to it, where you can see through that person’s eye, what they creatively choose, what they’re up to and who they are?—?you get a feeling for them. I enjoy it now.

On getting backlash for responding to the Alton Sterling shooting with a bikini pic
I mean, yeah, it is what it is. I just know now to really try not to make emotional statements, which is the main thing. It tends to happen to everybody at some point.

She thinks she had ghosts in her old house, consulted a medium
He was so right about a lot of shit. I was really freaked out, but I keep going over and over it in my head?—?it was dead family things he couldn’t have looked up. I think he’s got talent.

[From The Ringer via E! Online]

Mischa is living in an apartment in West Hollywood now, which the author calls “temporary” but will likely be more permanent because Mischa is redecorating the kitchen. She sounded both wistful of her past level of fame and grateful that it’s over, as if she was never quite comfortable in her own skin. She talked a little about the time she was hospitalized, which she previously blamed on medication for a wisdom tooth operation but now calls “necessary after so many disaster cases. You need to keep your head on straight. I needed that time for me.” She’s gone through a lot professionally and personally. In 2015 she sued her mom for stealing millions from her while managing her career, something the article didn’t mention, but that lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year.

As for Mischa’s thoughts on DWTS, it seems like she could have avoided a lot of that by just doing her homework first. She said they were trying to get her on the show for years. Did she even watch it in that time? It’s pretty obviously a show where you have to put the work in and learn how to dance, something she’s admitted was hard for her. How much “artistic input” did she think she was going to have when she had no prior knowledge of dancing and couldn’t do it?

Tomorrow night the most fun I’ve had in ages with @brianvickers @tpain @olivertrevena on @joyrideesq @esquirenetwork ??!!!!!!!!!!!!

A photo posted by Mischa Barton (@mischamazing) on Nov 14, 2016 at 5:34pm PST

photos credit: WENN.com