Harbor High's newest villain
shares a few of her own high-school secrets
Autumn Reeser swears that
in high school she wasn't anything like her O.C. character, Taylor
Townsend – the preppy, double-crossing nemesis of Summer Roberts
(Rachel Bilson). "I liked being a player in high school,"
says the former head cheerleader and homecoming-court royal. "(But)
I definitely was not a bitch." Still, Reeser, 25, who grew
up in Carlsbad, Calif., admits she once toilet-papered a rival's
house – and got called to the principal's office for it. PEOPLE
recently caught up with the actress (The Girl Next Door) and got
the scoop on her own high-school traumas, working with the O.C.
cast and her real-life grown-up romance.
Your name is
Autumn and you play Summer's enemy. What's up with that casting?
(Laughs) It's just, I don't know, meant to be or something.
It is the funniest thing. And I know there's not that many
girls named Autumn.
Since
you've been on the show, have you been recognized more?
You know what was funny? I went into a call-back yesterday and I
was talking with the assistant there and he's looking at my résumé
and he goes, "You're Taylor?" Apparently he's totally
obsessed with the show and I was right there and he didn't recognize
me. I think it's because I'm not like Taylor in person. I don't
dress like Taylor.
What
kind of role do you prefer: the sweetheart or the bitch?
The bitch. Oh, totally. Honestly, I went to school with a lot of
girls like (Taylor) and I feel like it's a little skewer. It's just
fun. You do things that you wouldn't necessarily do in real life,
hopefully.
Did you have any Taylor-style
drama in high school?
The only time I ever had any serious rivalry with anybody, there
was one girl – she was a cheerleader, too – and I started
dating (her ex-boyfriend). I just remember one time, she walks by
in the hallway and she's like, "Bitch." I don't think
I'd ever been called that by anybody, to my face at least, so I
was like, "Oh my God!" I was traumatized at the time.
Now I think it's funny.
How are you fitting
in with the O.C. cast? Are you guys getting along?
Rachel's really been particularly sweet to me. I work with her the
most, so she's just been a doll. She's a really sweet person and,
yeah, I like everybody.
Anyone special in your life?
I'm with my boyfriend (actor Jesse Warren). We've been together
for almost four years and we live together. We have a dog named
Gatsby, like The Great Gatsby.
Where'd you guys meet?
We met at UCLA theater school, but we didn't date until we were
both out of college. He's a great guy.
What makes the relationship
work?
There's no subject that's taboo. We talk about everything. He's
a great listener and he's really willing to share. And he's an actor,
too. I have a lot of girlfriends who are like, "I'm never gonna
date an actor. They're too self-absorbed or whatever," but
I can't imagine not being with him. The support is extraordinary.
So yeah, I love him.
