Adam Brody is getting candid about his behavior behind the scenes on The O.C.!

The actor shot to fame in 2003 for his charming performance as Seth Cohen, but just three years later, he was already OVER IT! In the new book, Welcome to the O.C.: The Oral History out on Tuesday, the cast and crew opened up about what it was like to work with the heartthrob at that time — and it sounds… complicated!

Series creator Josh Schwartz was the first to admit everyone was sick of the series by the time they got into the third of four seasons, saying:

“By the time we got to Season Three, we were all burned out. We’d made so many episodes so quickly, and I think it wasn’t a happy set for long stretches of it. Quite frankly, everybody was over it at that point. And I was one of those people who was over it at that point. It had been a great ride, but it had been a volatile ride.”

Executive producer Stephanie Savage also noted the morale among the cast was “very lackluster” back then, claiming they started “to be a bit petulant with directors, having an attitude, reading a book during rehearsal instead of paying attention,” that kind of thing. Oof!

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Even some of the older performers on the hit show were getting frustrated by the kids’ attitudes. Melinda Clarke chimed in:

“We were very aware in Season Three of how disliked the scripts were, especially by the kids. Adam and Ben [McKenzie] were like, ‘We’re grown men and we’re playing in high school still.’ They didn’t really ever talk to me personally about it, but that was the general understanding on set.”

Her onscreen hubby Tate Donovan even claimed the four younger stars wouldn’t even fully read their scripts — and the higher-ups never said anything in order to remain “friends” with them. Damn. While it sounds like most of the cast was a problem, it was mostly the Jennifer’s Body alum who was the biggest pain in the butt. Adam’s disinterest in the show was so bad, the writers had to come up with a plot just to make up for his poor performance, Schwartz revealed:

“Brody just changed his delivery, his investment in it. His style shifted to such a degree that we felt like we needed to account for it creatively. That’s where ‘Kaitlin gets Seth hooked on pot’ took root. We were like, ‘Well, how do we explain his lethargy on-screen? And at least if we can write that he’s stoned, then we’re not trying to write around it.”

Wow! That’s wild!!!

While Adam doesn’t think he was as troublesome as some in the cast recalled, he does regret how he handled the job, saying:

“I was polite to everyone. I liked the directors, and the crew and I got on really well and I didn’t keep people waiting. I would never scream or yell at anyone, or say anything f**king mean. But I think I very much let my distaste for the later episodes be known. I didn’t mask that at all, and I’m sure I openly mocked it a bit. So I’m not proud of that.”

Elaborating on his frustrations with the teen drama more, Adam continued:

“I started to be creatively less interested. I blame myself for a lack of professionalism, and a disrespect to the work. In terms of engagement as a whole, I’ll just say that they’re different shows, Season One and [the later seasons]. Had the quality been the quality of Season One, I’m sure I would have been a lot more engaged … I think the quality of it and my engagement went hand in hand.”

Oh man, he’s still blaming the show’s writing! Is he wrong, though? Isn’t that first season dynamite comparatively? Though to be fair, not all crappy storylines can be blamed solely on the writers. “Seth gets hooked on pot” is apparently all Brody. Who knows what else was different because of the young actors’ lack of enthusiasm?

Adam did admit it “became a bit of a game” for him to figure out what the main storylines of the show were by only reading his scenes, though he knows that was unprofessional and something he’s “not proud of.” Apparently, he told people at the time that he would only read the pages he was shooting each day, per Stephanie. Doing the bare minimum! Defending himself, the 43-year-old stressed:

“But I was on time! I was nice. And I knew my lines. I didn’t keep anyone waiting.”

All good things, though even he knows that’s not “a ringing endorsement for my conduct.” Unfortunately, his behavior impacted Season 3 newcomers like Autumn Reeser, who played Taylor Townsend for the latter half of the series. She was “disappointed” by Adam’s behavior since she was hoping “to find more camaraderie” from the cast. Still, she had “compassion for where he was at that time” since there was so much pressure on the stars, who likely felt they couldn’t “stretch” their talents on the series.

Ben McKenzie added that Adam “was not shy about” his feelings toward the show, and this energy affected everyone, causing them all to be in a “feisty, feisty mood.” Et tu, Ryan? Yep. He called it “a challenge, and frustrating, and all those sorts of things,” and insisted “at times each of us fell victim to that” — except for Rachel Bilson. She and Adam, of course, were famously dating at the time.

As for what Adam’s girlfriend thought? Rachel says she wanted to tell him to “sack it up,” but found herself conflicted with how to handle the sitch considering he was her boyfriend and co-star:

“How do you balance that? Because you want to be supportive of the person you’re with. But also I’m a firm believer in always being grateful, and gratitude comes first. And I think there were probably times where that went by the wayside. You grow up, you look back, and you can realize when you’re young, you might behave in certain ways you wish you hadn’t.”

Ultimately, it was really their boss Josh’s responsibility to fix the situation — something the creator recognizes now. Schwartz says he wished he’d had a “big come-to-Jesus meeting” where they could’ve aired their grievances. Not only would the cast have “felt heard,” but they might have had “good ideas that would have enlightened us creatively.” Regardless, he’d work with the Mr. & Mrs. Smith alum “in a heartbeat” and clarified Adam’s problems with the show had nothing to do with the cast not getting along.

Whoa. They had as much drama off-screen as they did on! Thoughts? Let us know (below)!

[Image via WENN/MEGA/Avalon & Late Night/Broad Ideas/YouTube]

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