Mischa nudes up for new roleWHILE an increasing number of Hollywood stars refuse to take their gear off for the cameras, Mischa Barton has bared all for her latest film role.
In doing so, she has well and truly shed the girl-next-door image for which she became famous in hit American TV series, The OC.
Playing a lead role in Richard Attenborough's Closing The Ring required the 22-year-old to appear fully nude.
"It is a little difficult because all women are self-conscious about their bodies,'' Barton told Insider from her Hollywood home.
"But I think it facilitated the film in a really good way because it is not gratuitous. It is all about the innocence of my character and how open and raw she feels."
It is Barton's first film release since she quit The OC back in 2006.
"I was looking for something that would bring back that joy of making films and really be a spark in my life again," she said.
"And I knew Richard (Attenborough) was the kind of director who would centre my mind on all the right things.
"When he works, he is very calm and creative and quiet and I think he gets really good performances out of actors that way."
While she is grateful for her time on The OC, Barton doesn't miss the intensity of working on a weekly TV drama, describing her time on the show as "like high school".
"It was exhausting. In the end it was such a commercial machine,'' she said.
"As an actor, it is a shocking experience to be put on a show that's so popular.
"When you have a network that comes down on you so hard like that, it is all about making money and keeping your ratings up and working as fast as you possibly can.
"It was fun while it lasted but it was definitely an intense and exhausting experience and I didn't realise just how burnt out I was from it until I stopped for a second and took a break."
Barton signed on to Closing The Ring immediately when approached by Attenborough.
The film also stars Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer and Peter Postlethwaite.
Set in 1943, it is a love story about a young air-force gunner who is shot down in Ireland during World War II.
Barton plays the gunner's young wife, left back home in North Carolina when he goes missing.
It's not the first time Barton has appeared naked on camera.
The brunette beauty was seen wearing just her underpants in a sex scene with Paul Rudd in the 2006 film The Oh In Ohio.
But we certainly see more of the actress in Closing The Ring than we have done in previous roles.
"I was very well protected," she explained.
"It wasn't a racy set at all. It was a bunch of old men trying to cover me up with towels every second. It was just me and one person.
"They were all in another room and it was just the camera peeking in. It could have been a very awkward situation."
Barton began acting at the age of nine, scoring numerous roles in film and television.
But it was playing the character of Marissa Cooper on The OC for three years from the age of 16 for which she is best known.
Barton is one of the most photographed young stars in Hollywood. Paparazzi follow her wherever she goes and it isn't always easy.
During her Christmas break, Barton was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Pulled over by police in West Hollywood on December 27, she was found in possession of marijuana and without a valid driver's licence.
"I try to spend as little time in LA as I can now just because I don't like all the attention from paparazzi and people speculating on my life," she said.
"Living life under the microscope like that can be a bit unhealthy after a while.
Closing The Ring opens nationally on March 6.Source: Mischa nudes up for new role | The Daily Telegraphcredit: marie