Barton 'Needs to Be Very Cautious'

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Mischa Barton
Michael Buckner, Getty Images
While her 'Beautiful Life' co-stars and producers of the upcoming CW show gush about Mischa Barton's health and work ethic, her closest friends aren't so sure the star is ready for prime time. The 'O.C.' actress was recently placed under involuntary psychiatric hold at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and though she flew to New York to film her new show immediately after her release, some feel that Barton requires intensive therapy before returning to work.
"Mischa needs more aggressive treatment over a long period of time," a friend tells the New York Daily News. "It's only been a matter of days since she was released from the hospital, and I think she definitely wasn't there long enough. She needs to be very cautious - she's at a very big risk. I personally think it's a bad idea to go back this quickly, given her past history with substance abuse."
Barton's character in the show is a model battling a serious drug problem - perhaps a little close to home for the real-life actress, who was arrested for drunk driving and spent time in rehab within the last few years.
Her co-stars disagree, assuring PEOPLE that Barton is ready to work and "doing great."
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"We had our first read-through [Wednesday] and we're all so very excited to have her back. She's such a great girl," co-star Sara Paxton said. "We really didn't talk about everything that's been going on. It was really all work."
'Beautiful Life' star Ben Hollingsworth said, "We were all worried about her. We didn't really know what was going on, but she's looking great. She's feeling great and it's just good to have her back. We start shooting again on Friday and she's ready to work. We're all ready to jump into it and are very excited ? even Mischa."
Hollingsworth believes Barton's new role may be a perfect fit. "She's gone through it more than anyone in the cast and her character in the show is very intertwined into that lifestyle," he said. "I think she's going to be able to draw on a lot of real-life experiences that she's had to go through with paparazzi, rumors, and invasion of privacy and all that comes in the public eye."
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2009-07-31 07:42:45
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