These days, you have teen shows like Stranger Things and Wednesday that follow groups of kids solving various supernatural mysteries and battling demons and such, but back in 2007, teen soaps were about real issues, like going to high school in Orange County, California, and everything that entails. Yeah, the teens on The O.C. never battled Vecna, but they did have Julie Cooper, who slept with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend while also dating her best friend’s dad (before he died of a heart attack) before getting back together with her ex-husband who also dated her best friend. This is what television should be.
The O.C. had its fair share of drama, and a lot of it was encouraged by Kaitlin Cooper, Julie Cooper’s youngest, portrayed by Willa Holland. But, as with most television shows, there were a lot of girls in the running to be Mini Coop. “We saw quite a few people for that,” executive producer Stephanie Savage recalled in the new book, Welcome To The O.C.: The Oral History, written by Alan Sepinwall.
This was the second time Marissa’s little sister Kaitlin had to be cast on the show. In the first season of the show, a young Shailene Woodley portrayed the character, though she did not appear in season two (the classic “boarding school” excuse was used). When season three rolled around and Kaitlin became more of a central character, she was recast. And it was almost Emma Stone.
“We saw Hayden Panettiere, we saw Britt Robertson. Lily Collins,” she added. Just think how the world would have turned out if we had Emily in The O.C. instead of Emily in Paris. Schwartz then revealed, “We had a meeting with Emma Stone,” which obviously didn’t end up happening, though Savage did agree that Stone looked a lot like her would-be TV mom, Melinda Clarke.
Holland ended up playing Kaitlin until the end of the series and then had a guest spot on Gossip Girl before leaving the teen soap circuit and moving on the the young adult superhero demographic with Arrow. And Emma Stone didn’t do too bad either, so it worked out for them both!
(Via EW)