<P> Autumn Reeser portrays Taylor Townsend (season 4, recurring season 3), introduced in Season 3 as a neurotic perfectionist student . Her character's initial personality was referred to by many critics as similar to the character Tracy Flick from the film Election . Taylor begins the series as a recurring villain before eventually becoming the second female lead in the fourth season . Autumn Reeser's performance was critically acclaimed . She reflected back on the character during a 2010 interview, saying "I feel like there's a lot of girls out there who could really relate to her, who hadn't seen themselves on TV in that way . I loved that about her . I loved that she made no apologies for who she was even though she wasn't what all the magazines said was OK . She was like, "I'm still valid . And I'm awesome . And I know I'm odd, and that's OK ." </P> <P> Willa Holland portrays Kaitlin Cooper (season 4, recurring season 1, 3). The role was originally played by Shailene Woodley in a recurring role during Season 1 . Kaitlin spends much of the series at boarding school before returning on a recurring basis in season 3 (now played by Holland) and finally becoming a regular character in season 4 . The daughter of Jimmy Cooper and Julie Cooper - Nichol and sister to Marissa Cooper, her personality is more similar to her mother's rather than her father's, and she is portrayed as a regular pot smoker and occasional dealer . Holland observed that "no one can control her" but that her arc in Season 4 finds the character maturing . When asked about any disappointment over the recast, Shailene Woodley responded that, "I was 11 and I was on as a guest, recurring character, or whatever . My character went to boarding school and when they decided to bring her back, they actually re-auditioned me to bring her back . But I didn't go through puberty until late (...) So, there was no weirdness when Willa Holland got it because she was so obviously right for the role...and I was so obviously not (laughs)." In the series, Willa Holland's character dates a character played by the popular music star Chris Brown in the 4th season of the show . </P> <P> In 2002, creator Josh Schwartz met with Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol and Stephanie Savage of production company Wonderland Sound and Vision . They told Schwartz they wanted to create a television show based in McG's hometown of Newport Beach, Orange County, California . Savage suggested producing a police or extreme sports 21 Jump Street - style show, but Schwartz knew little about the genre . Having had experiences with people from Newport Beach during his time at the University of Southern California, Schwartz came back to them with his own characters . The show was pitched to Fox in August 2002 . Fox targeted a summer launch for the show, and Doug Liman was brought in to direct the premiere after McG withdrew due to his scheduling conflicts with Charlie's Angels 2 . The show was confirmed for the 2003--2004 schedule in May, and an August 5, 2003 broadcast date was selected in June . </P> <P> Schwartz said that inspiration for the show came from being a fan of Larry Sanders, Cameron Crowe and other "quirky character - driven shows like Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared, and My So - Called Life". Schwartz went to college at the University of Southern California School of Cinema - Television, and later said that The O.C. was "very much based on sort of the experiences I had when I was in college" as a "Jewish kid from the East Coast...surrounded by all these kids from Newport Beach who were water - polo players, and these very blonde girls who only wanted to date them . I felt very much like an outsider ." Although Orange County residents criticised the show's title, stating that people did not call the county by the phrase, Schwartz claims that USC students did say that they were from "The O.C." He also stated that Cohen family in season one resembles his own family life, adding that "The dynamic between Sandy and Seth is very much based on me and my dad ." Schwartz reasoned that, "As much as our audience enjoys living vicariously in this wealthy world, I think the true wish fulfillment comes from wishing that they had a family like the Cohens--where the parents could be that cool and that grounded and that loving, but also real parents ." </P>

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