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HOLLYWOOD -- Marissa Cooper, watch your back. The O.C.'s new girl wants your guy.
Actress Nikki Reed, who at 13 wrote herself the plum part of a seductive drug-abusing saboteur in the acclaimed 2003 art-house film Thirteen, joins the Fox drama Thursday (9 p.m. ET/PT) for at least six episodes as Sadie Campbell.
Her arrival is triggered by the death of another character, and her first scene is with Mischa Barton's Marissa. But Sadie's mourning is short-lived, and in no time at all she has Marissa's boyfriend Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) helping her move into her new home.
During her first month of shooting, Reed has bonded most closely with McKenzie. "I love him," the 18-year-old coos while indulging in sweets at a Sunset Boulevard cafe.
She also has become a mentor of sorts to the show's other new girl, Willa Holland, 14, who plays Barton's kid sis, Kaitlin. "Her maturity reminds me of myself."
A frequent guest at the home of O.C. on/off-screen lovers Rachel Bilson (Summer) and Adam Brody (Seth), Reed likens their romance to her own relationship with her actor boyfriend of two years, Victor Rasuk, 22.
"It's the same thing with Adam and Rachel. They get to work together and be together," notes Reed, relieved that her 18th birthday "finally" has allowed her the freedom to publicly discuss her love for Rasuk, who played her brother in the 2005 skateboarding drama Lords of Dogtown. "Working together is fun, but it can make or break your relationship."
The one cast member Reed has yet to connect with: Barton. She suspects their on-screen rivalry may be spilling over into real life. "Our scenes are odd," she explains. "Mischa and I are not supposed to get along too well (on screen). I think her character might be a little bit threatened by me. So we'll have to see what happens when the show wraps. I don't go onto jobs hoping to add people to my life."
Reed's simple fashion sense singles her out from the pack. She prefers flip-flops to fancy Jimmy Choos. That's why she was so intrigued when The O.C.'s producers pitched Sadie as this hippie girl from Oregon who makes jewelry and wears little makeup, the actress says.
But with The O.C. being a Fox show, Reed was confronted with makeup artists and costume designers intent on glamming up the bohemian character. The resulting Sadie seen in later episodes, Reed says, is "far from what I was originally pitched."
She suspects Barton may be behind Sadie's transformation. "Who can compete with Mischa?" Reed says. "She's very beautiful and charismatic and is the star of that show. I think they feared fans might say, 'If (McKenzie's Ryan) is going to leave Mischa, it better be for someone who can give Mischa a run for her money."
But Reed has little interest in trying to give her designer-clad co-stars a run for their money in the pages of celebrity magazines. "I think they know my vibe is different from theirs," says Reed, who grew up poor in Venice, Calif. "For me, it's all about giving back."
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