Mischa Barton Says She And Britney Spears Lived A Very Similar Life In The Early 2000s

    "I remember thinking, 'Jesus, this poor girl.'"

    Alex Gurley
    by Alex Gurley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Mischa Barton says that watching Framing Britney Spears really hit home for her — because she was right there as it was all happening.

    Mischa poses on the red carpet at a recent event
    Amy Sussman / Getty Images

    The documentary looked back on the intense tabloid and paparazzi coverage that Britney faced in the early 2000s, which Mischa dealt with as well.

    View this video on YouTube
    FX Networks / Via youtube.com

    "I felt all the feels when I watched the Britney doc because I was there at those clubs and those parties and down the street when all of that was happening. Literally would've been in the background, but not quite," Mischa told E! News.

    Mischa smiles at an event when she was younger
    Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

    And even though the constant media scrutiny was "happening to" her too, she couldn't help but feel "so sorry" for Britney.

    Mischa smiles at an event when she was younger
    Stephen Shugerman / Getty Images

    "I remember thinking, 'Jesus, this poor girl.' And her getting sucked into the wrong people pretending to want to be her friend — that happened to me too. A lot of that weirdness," Mischa shared.

    Britney is surrounded by friends many years ago
    Mark Sullivan / WireImage

    Mischa noted that at the time, people condemned Britney for "being a 'psycho,'" but she was really just a mother going through a mental health crisis.

    Britney looks sad while looking out of a car window
    Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images

    "If you look at it like a mother who's just about to lose her children, who was told three days before by a judge she's going to have her kids taken away from her, and then she's being hounded by the paparazzi to within an inch of her life—like, she's going through a meltdown. Then you realize, when put in context, those pictures — you can see the anger and the passion of just like, 'Get away from me. Let me breathe,'" Mischa explained.

    She added that the photos of herself taken by the paparazzi also captured a difficult time in her life.

    Mischa gets photographed by the paparazzi while leaving an event
    James Devaney / WireImage

    "I look back at some of it, and you can see that pain of having to deal with so much all at once. First loves and breakups and betrayals and all sorts of ups and downs and that kind of treatment," she said.

    Mischa continued, "If I put one foot out of place, my agents would call me up and be like, 'Nope, you lost the role because they saw you out at wherever, and you just don't get the job now.' I remember a lot of that stuff really devastated me."

    Mischa gets photographed by the paparazzi while walking her dog
    Arnaldo Magnani / Getty Images

    At that time, she had no place to defend herself and couldn't explain her actions, which is why she's grateful for social media today.

    "It...does give these girls an opportunity to show their side of the story and justify why they were out at a club that night or got in a fight with their boyfriend that evening or whatever happened. They have a way to dispel that rumor machine that was strong in the early '00s," Mischa explained.

    And even though she didn't have social media to defend herself when she needed it most, she's still "happy and grateful" for all the opportunities that came along with her fame.