NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

THE FORMER TEEN STAR FOUND MORE THAN GOOD FRIENDS FILMING NEIGHBOURS

She may be the last person anyone expected to appear on Neighbours, but that's just what makes the casting of Mischa Barton a genius move for the revived Australian soap opera, which returns to screens on September 18.

The British-born actress has generated plenty of publicity for the series, which was cancelled by Ten after 37 years on air in 2022, only to be resurrected through a co-production deal with Amazon.

The arrival of the international star on Ramsay Street in the guest role of Reece Sinclair and the attention she has received as a result - has also been embraced by Neighbours' returning cast and crew.

"The thing I enjoy most about the show is the sense of family around in the people who have been doing it for so long, which is really nice," the 37-year-old tells WHO.

"Everybody has been really welcoming in that sense and we've had quite a bit of fun making it. I think it's very exciting that it is getting started back up in this way."

Attracting attention is nothing new for Barton, who has been acting since the age of 8 and achieved global fame at 17 thanks to her role as Marissa Cooper in the teen drama juggernaut The O.C.

The intense scrutiny she received thanks to The O.C. proved to be difficult for Barton to handle and her character was killed off in the show's third season after the actress wanted out.