Emma Roberts, the queen of screams (literally, she was in Scream Queens), recently sat down for a chit-chat with Grace Van Patten for Nylon. They were supposed to talk about Season 2 of Tell Me Lies, a show that’s now sizzling on Hulu like a fresh plate of nachos. Emma is not just any regular cast member here—she’s also the mastermind producer who finessed the book behind the series into Hulu’s lap as part of a first-look deal. That’s Hollywood talk for “I read the book first, so now I get to brag.”
But in true Emma Roberts style, she couldn’t resist dropping a nugget of personal drama so juicy it could rival an episode of The OC.
Cue Emma, dramatically reminiscing: “I used to binge-watch The OC before every new season dropped. Like, I had to go back and analyze every. single. thing. It was basically my version of studying for a pop culture SAT.”
Grace, clearly just as The OC-obsessed, chimes in, “Totally. Our show basically is the modern-day OC—minus the California beaches, the same level of teen angst, and, well, a lot of stuff, but still!”
Then Emma lets slip the real tea. “I love The OC. But guess what? I wasn’t even allowed to watch it when it aired! My mom straight-up banned it. She was like, ‘Nope, not today, Satan,’ because she thought it was too risqué.
And then… the betrayal.
“They wanted me to audition for Marissa Cooper’s little sister! Can you imagine? But my mom shut it down like it was a wild party and she was the fun police. I’m still holding a grudge. Every Christmas, I’m like, ‘Remember when you ruined my chance at The OC fame, Mom?’ But hey, what can you do? Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, back to my other show.”
And that, my friends, is how Emma Roberts missed out on becoming a pint-sized OC icon and ended up producing her own juicy drama.
