Days after Kiefer Sutherland reflected on his DUI arrest, a new interview has emerged finding Mischa Barton speaking out about her own experience getting arrested on drunken driving charges.
“That was a low point for me. I never, ever would have thought I would be arrested,” she told Nylon’s August issue regarding her arrest last year on DUI related charges.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Barton was arrested in December 2007 on suspicion of DUI. She was later charged with four counts including a marijuana charge, which was later dropped. Barton made a plea deal in April 2008. As part of her sentence, the former “OC” star was put on 36 months probation, required to attend alcohol education classes and pay a fine.
Barton said one reason she was so disappointed over the incident was because of the people it lumped her in with.
“I was disappointed because it associated me with a group of girls that I would rather not be associated with,” she said. “That was the biggest bummer for me – I didn’t leave my house. I was too embarrassed. They made such a big deal out of it with these other young actresses, that, for a little bit, I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.”
In the months before Barton’s own DUI arrest, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan were both arrested for the same offense.
The actress, who now enjoys spending time at her apartment in France, said following the incident, she turned to her inner circle for support.
“It was a stupid thing to do. But my friends were really great, and my family was really supportive, and I’ve done a lot to pay back for what I did,” she said.
When asked by Nylon what she did to pay back for the crime, Barton said, “Just like stuff you have to do to please the courts.”
Barton said she was also disturbed by how much attention getting arrested for driving drunken and alleged marijuana possession got her.
“I make mistakes, and I never claimed to be perfect,” she told the magazine. “It’s weird. The way I live my life, I don’t want to be so closeted that I just have to shut myself off and become some protected young starlet that’s removed from reality, but I was also just shocked at what a big deal people made out of it.”
During the interview, Barton also tackled the rumors she was asked to join “Gossip Girl,” a show she admits she’s never seen.
“I was offered to play a role, but just because I’ve come out of ‘The OC,’ why would I want to go back on another series that is exactly the same?” she asked. “It’s just not what I wanted to do, and it’s not the kind of material I’m looking for.”
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