Rachel Bilson Toasts to ‘The O.C.”s 21st Birthday by Reprising Her Iconic Role as Summer Roberts

“The only alcohol I really like is tequila and I’m a fan of 21Seeds, so it was a no-brainer,” actress Rachel Bilson told WWD about her collaboration with the female-founded tequila brand for a new campaign titled “Serving Summer.” Bilson is reprising her role of her beloved character Summer Roberts from “The O.C.” more than two decades later.

The TV show’s creator Josh Schwartz and executive producer Stephanie Savage — who both run Fake Empire Production company — worked with Bilson on the campaign featuring 21Seeds’ signature-infused cocktails.

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Bilson is a “big fan of spice” and her go-to flavor is the brand’s cucumber jalapeño tequila to make a spicy margarita. Correlating the 21 years that have passed since the show’s first season and 21Seeds, Bilson said the opportunity couldn’t be a more “perfect time” to reprise her role as Roberts.

“We’re very grateful to 21Seeds for extending the opportunity to revisit our first project together to celebrate its 21st birthday,” Schwartz said. “We’re constantly asked about a reunion or where our characters would be now and this felt like a fun way to hang out with Summer Roberts again. There are easter eggs hidden throughout as well as shoutouts to some memorable moments from the show.”

While Bilson has talked at length about her fondness for her time on the show, she was “transported back and reminded of when [they] shot the pilot episode” while she was on set.

“I love that character so much,” Bilson said. “It gave me the opportunity to revisit some of her iconic dialogue, which is always fun. It’s a nice trip down memory lane.”

Although Bilson would work with Schwartz and Savage on “anything,” she’s not certain everyone from the original cast would be interested in a reboot of the series. However, she cherishes the memories she made on set in the early 2000s.

“I obviously love Summer so much, but I respect the fact that what we did 21 years ago was so special,” Bilson said. “You maybe don’t want to touch those types of things. I go back and forth. It has the quality that people are still watching [the show] so it’s nice to have it as is.”

As someone involved with the fashion industry for years including starring in a Karl Lagerfeld-directed Magnum ice cream commercial, being named Sunglass Hut’s style director in 2010 and designing a DKNY line in 2008, Bilson was 21 years old when she first started filming “The O.C.” in 2003. At the height of the paparazzi craze, she spent her early 20s heavily photographed and was part of the iconic early 2000s celebrity style looks that currently serve as inspiration for the revived Y2K trend.

Bilson often gets a blast from the past whenever she takes her nine-year-old daughter shopping. “It’s crazy to know that [the styles] have come back in full force and now my daughter is even wearing some of the things that I would have worn.”

As a fan of the overall trend, Bilson said she helps her daughter style looks from her early 20s. But now as a 42-year-old mother, Bilson doesn’t foresee herself revising wearing bikini tops as tops she used to dress in nor is she a fan of low-rise jeans.

Both Bilson and Adrienne Cuschieri, business director of 21Seeds, agree that Summer Roberts is the ultimate 21Seeds girl — especially with her love of a tequila cocktail.

“Summer Roberts is the total embodiment of a true 21Seeds fan — she’s never too serious, brings everyone together and is always down for a good time,” Cuschieri said. “I can’t wait to see how the campaign inspires our customers to connect over their favorite easy-to-make 21Seeds cocktails and scenes from ‘The O.C.’”

Earlier this summer, 21Seeds also collaborated with LoveShackFancy on a limited-edition cocktail tote bag.

Licensed by Warner Bros. Discovery’s global consumer products, Bilson’s campaign with 21Seeds will air on Hulu, Max and Peacock starting on Monday with three 15-second episodes highlighting the three flavors of cucumber jalapeño, valencia orange and grapefruit hibiscus.

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