Julie Cooper
Encyclopedia
Julie Cooper is a fictional character
on the FOX
television series The O.C.
, portrayed by Melinda Clarke
.
, California
, in 1970. She was raised in a trailer park, but left for Newport Beach at the age of eighteen after marrying Jimmy Cooper
when she fell pregnant with their daughter, Marissa
. Julie has always said that she imagined herself living a life of wealth and privilege from a young age. She almost seems to be estranged from her parents, and has a younger sister named Cindy (who appeared briefly in season one) with whom Julie has little contact.
, witty, cunning, and devious woman who often uses friends, family, and associates to her advantage. She is highly driven, ambitious and always strives for social and financial success. She is an attractive and rather promiscuous woman who often uses her beauty to exploit wealthy and influential men. In the first two seasons, Julie has often been portrayed as a villainous character, but throughout the third and fourth seasons, she is shown to have mellowed, and a more kind, caring side of her is revealed. In an interview, Melinda Clarke (who portrays Julie Cooper) stated that she believed Julie's character also provided much comic relief in many episodes.
and Kirsten Cohen
in Newport Beach with her husband, Jimmy Cooper
, and daughters Marissa
and Kaitlin
. When it is revealed that her husband, a financial planner, has been stealing from his clients' trust funds, Julie immediately files for a divorce against him, believing that she and her daughters "deserved better." When her eldest daughter, Marissa, nearly dies from an overdose of painkillers and tequila on a road trip in Tijuana
, Mexico
(due to hearing the news of her parents' divorce and learning that her boyfriend Luke has been unfaithful to her), Julie attempts to send her to a rehabilitation center
in San Diego
. She also threatens to battle Jimmy for sole custody of Marissa and Kaitlin. She takes an immediate dislike to newcomer Ryan Atwood
, barely acknowledging the fact that he has saved her daughter's life. She warns him to keep away from her daughter and threatens to send him back to juvenile hall
if he ignores her warning.
She begins dating Kirsten's father, the wealthy and powerful Caleb Nichol
who mortgages the large and luxurious home that she lives in, whilst Jimmy is living in much smaller accommodation. After being dumped by Caleb, she enters a passionate affair with her daughter Marissa's ex-boyfriend, Luke Ward
, which ex-husband Jimmy becomes suspicious of. After apologizing to her, Caleb and Julie once again enter a relationship, eventually leading to Julie's employment at Caleb's real estate company, the Newport Group. During this time she is still involved in her sexual affair with Luke, which Ryan Atwood
and Seth Cohen
become aware of after spotting Julie and Luke leaving a motel room together. Marissa soon discovers that Julie has been having an affair with her ex-boyfriend and uses this to blackmail her mother when Julie threatens to send her off to rehab once again after running away from home. Caleb unexpectedly proposes to Julie on the opening night of Jimmy Cooper and Sandy Cohen's restaurant, the Lighthouse. Luke sees this and later ends up in hospital after a DUI accident
triggered by the event. Upon her marriage to Caleb, Julie immediately becomes the most powerful woman in Newport.
, claiming their home "was no environment for a child". She is shown to have a turbulent relationship with eldest daughter Marissa, who often rebels against Julie and blackmails her. Julie is horrified to discover that Marissa has been having an affair with their gardener, D.J., and bribes him with the sum of $5000 to keep away from her daughter as she believed she was only using him to get revenge on her. She has the same belief later on in the series when Marissa enters a lesbian relationship with Alex Kelly. During this series Julie also enters an affair with ex-husband Jimmy Cooper, which Marissa later discovers. Jimmy hurriedly leaves for Hawaii
as he worries other people will learn of this secret.
During season two it becomes apparent that Julie's husband Caleb has a sixteen year-old daughter, Lindsay Gardner
, from a previous affair. Caleb is eager to adopt her, after suffering a heart attack and realising that his time left on earth is limited, but Julie feels threatened when she realises Caleb's inheritance will be passed on to Lindsay and not her and her daughters. She presses Caleb for a blood test and tries to dissuade Lindsay and her mother, Reneé, by planting seeds of doubt in their minds. The blood test goes ahead, and as expected it is revealed that Caleb is Lindsay's biological father, but Lindsay decides to move to Chicago with her mother to be with the rest of their family. Caleb had appointed Julie CEO of his company, the Newport Group, and in order to give the group an image make-over, Julie decided to launch a magazine, Newport Living. Her past soon came back to haunt her, however, when her ex-lover Lance Baldwin came back into her life. He threatened to release a copy of a sex tape she had participated in when she was a teenager, if she did not pay him $500,000. When Caleb dismissed her concerns and in stead secretly sent two thugs to attack Lance in his motel room, he released the tape at a party originally intended for the magazine launch.
Later on in the series, and following her sex-tape scandal, Caleb files a divorce against Julie after having hired a Private Investigator to spy on her. Much to her shock, Julie learns that Caleb was aware of her previous affairs with Luke and Jimmy and believes she was also involved in an affair with Lance. According to the marriage agreement, Julie was entitled to a sum of $3,000,000 if she had been married for a period of one year. When Caleb tried to file for the divorce, the two had only been married for a period of 11 months and 27 days. In addition to the divorce, Caleb fired Julie as CEO of his company. This was done shortly after he received pictures of Julie kissing Lance at his motel. The timing of Caleb's attacks would essentially leave her with nothing from the marriage. Left with the possibility of being out on the street with two daughters, Julie began to devise plans to secure her life and position. Lance had offered to kill Caleb, but Julie refused the offer knowing that neither of them were killers. When agitated further by Caleb, Julie was forced to finish the job herself and attempted to give him an overdose of sleeping pills in his Margarita cocktail, but found herself unable to go through with it. Minutes later, he died of a heart attack and drowned in their swimming pool. By the end of the season, she seemed to be returning to a relationship with her ex-husband Jimmy (who had returned from Hawaii to attend Caleb's funeral).
in order to save Ryan. However, the incident put Trey into a coma. Worried about her daughter's criminal record and chances of going to college, she devises a scheme to frame Ryan which involves bribing Trey with the sum of $20,000 to confess that his brother shot him. Marissa comes forward and admits to the shooting and subsequently Ryan and Marissa are both saved from possible imprisonment. The reunion of Julie and Jimmy later proves to be ill-fated, as Jimmy's financial woes separate the two once again, effectively leaving Julie a widow. She is forced out of the large mansion she and Caleb once lived in as she is left with no money as it revealed that Caleb Nichol was almost penniless himself when he died. For a time, Julie was able to find accommodation in a condominium, thanks to con-artist Charlotte Morgan, in return to accompany Charlotte in a scheme to steal money from Kirsten, which Julie foils (telling her that "there's only room in this town for one manipulative bitch"). She is forced to move in a trailer park and sends Marissa to stay at her friend Summer Roberts
' house. She has begun forming a new business venture with closest friend (and one-time stepdaughter) Kirsten Cohen
. She embarks on a romantic relationship with Dr. Neil Roberts which leads to their engagement (which began on a romantic cruise to Cabo San Lucas
, Mexico). Julie and Marissa move in at the Roberts' luxurious mansion where Marissa has already been living for several months. As her eldest daughter's graduation approaches, her youngest daughter, Kaitlin, returns from boarding school and announces that she would be staying in Newport with Julie. Kaitlin is shown to be strikingly similar to her mother in terms of character, being somewhat devious, manipulative and dishonest. Marissa had decided to spend the following year working with her father on a yacht in the Greek Islands, and they believed it would be better if Julie had at least one daughter to care for. As Marissa and Ryan were driving to the airport, a drunken Volchok - Marissa's ex-boyfriend - forced Ryan to lose control of his vehicle, sending them off the road, and thus leading to Marissa's death.
but allows Julie and Kaitlin stay in his house alongside his daughter Summer and Taylor Townsend
, who has been kicked out of her own house by her mother, Veronica
. After Kevin Volchok
, the thug who caused Marissa's death, is arrested and jailed, she finally carries herself through her grief. She begins dating her German fitness instructor, and her daughter's tennis instructor, Spencer. She is set up by Kirsten with Gordon Bullit, an investor in their dating service NewMatch. She is persuaded by Gordon Bullit's son, Spencer (Kaitlin's tennis instructor) and the dating service is soon secretly turned into a male prostitution ring. She is later caught out by Kirsten and fired from the company. Julie since has reconciled with Kirsten (although she is still no longer a partner of NewMatch). She recently had to choose between two men, Gordon Bullit and Frank Atwood (Ryan's father) on Valentine's Day. After both men vied for her affections, and she chose Frank whose upbringing resembles her own humble roots.
For some time, Kaitlin had despised Frank and tried to convince her mother to marry Bullit. However, she explains that ever since her dad
leaving, Marissa's
death, and the numerous dates with other men, they never had a chance to sit down and be a real family. With that answer, Julie and Frank take time apart and she rekindles her relationship with Kaitlin at an ice cream shop. Unfortunately, they are trapped there when an earthquake hits Newport.
In the series finale, 6 months have passed and a pregnant Julie is engaged to Gordon Bullit. But Frank interrupts their wedding and Julie chooses not to go through with the marriage. We also find out that the baby is Frank's, a fact of which Julie had already made Bullit aware of. After deciding to stay single, Julie goes back to undergraduate school and finally completes her degree. She is quoted to have said , "Not now Kaitlin, right now I'm trying to figure out who to marry." Years later in a flash-forward sequence set in 2012, Julie graduates with the support of her family, including Bullit, Frank, Kaitlin, and her son. It is not clear if she is romantically involved with either man.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, portrayed by Melinda Clarke
Melinda Clarke
Melinda Patrice Clarke is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI...
.
Background
Julie was born in RiversideRiverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, in 1970. She was raised in a trailer park, but left for Newport Beach at the age of eighteen after marrying Jimmy Cooper
Jimmy Cooper
Jimmy Cooper may refer to:*Quadrophenia, fictional Film Lead character from Quadrophenia*Jimmy Cooper , fictional TV character from The O.C.*Jimmy Cooper , Scottish hammered dulcimer player...
when she fell pregnant with their daughter, Marissa
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
. Julie has always said that she imagined herself living a life of wealth and privilege from a young age. She almost seems to be estranged from her parents, and has a younger sister named Cindy (who appeared briefly in season one) with whom Julie has little contact.
Characterization
Julie Cooper is portrayed as a manipulativePsychological manipulation
Psychological manipulation is a type of social influence that aims to change the perception or behavior of others through underhanded, deceptive, or even abusive tactics. By advancing the interests of the manipulator, often at the other's expense, such methods could be considered exploitative,...
, witty, cunning, and devious woman who often uses friends, family, and associates to her advantage. She is highly driven, ambitious and always strives for social and financial success. She is an attractive and rather promiscuous woman who often uses her beauty to exploit wealthy and influential men. In the first two seasons, Julie has often been portrayed as a villainous character, but throughout the third and fourth seasons, she is shown to have mellowed, and a more kind, caring side of her is revealed. In an interview, Melinda Clarke (who portrays Julie Cooper) stated that she believed Julie's character also provided much comic relief in many episodes.
Season 1
At the beginning of season one, Julie is living next door to SandySandy Cohen
Sanford "Sandy" Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX series The O.C., portrayed by Peter Gallagher.Sandy, a lawyer, raconteur, and son of Sophie Cohen, is married to Kirsten Cohen. Their eldest child, Seth, is something of a social misfit. Sandy's father left his mother when he was young and...
and Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood...
in Newport Beach with her husband, Jimmy Cooper
Jimmy Cooper
Jimmy Cooper may refer to:*Quadrophenia, fictional Film Lead character from Quadrophenia*Jimmy Cooper , fictional TV character from The O.C.*Jimmy Cooper , Scottish hammered dulcimer player...
, and daughters Marissa
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
and Kaitlin
Kaitlin Cooper
Kaitlin Cooper is a fictional character on the Fox television series The O.C., played by Willa Holland. She was originally played by Shailene Woodley.-Season 1:...
. When it is revealed that her husband, a financial planner, has been stealing from his clients' trust funds, Julie immediately files for a divorce against him, believing that she and her daughters "deserved better." When her eldest daughter, Marissa, nearly dies from an overdose of painkillers and tequila on a road trip in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(due to hearing the news of her parents' divorce and learning that her boyfriend Luke has been unfaithful to her), Julie attempts to send her to a rehabilitation center
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
. She also threatens to battle Jimmy for sole custody of Marissa and Kaitlin. She takes an immediate dislike to newcomer Ryan Atwood
Ryan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...
, barely acknowledging the fact that he has saved her daughter's life. She warns him to keep away from her daughter and threatens to send him back to juvenile hall
Youth detention center
A youth detention center, also known as a juvenile detention center , juvenile hall or, more colloquially as juvie, is a secure residential facility for young people, often termed juvenile delinquents, awaiting court hearings and/or placement in long-term care facilities and programs...
if he ignores her warning.
She begins dating Kirsten's father, the wealthy and powerful Caleb Nichol
Caleb Nichol
Caleb Nichol is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Alan Dale during the show's first and second seasons...
who mortgages the large and luxurious home that she lives in, whilst Jimmy is living in much smaller accommodation. After being dumped by Caleb, she enters a passionate affair with her daughter Marissa's ex-boyfriend, Luke Ward
Luke Ward
Luke Ward is a fictional character in the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Chris Carmack. At the beginning of the series, Luke was in a long-term relationship with Marissa Cooper. However, it was later revealed that Luke was cheating on Marissa with Holly Fischer. After seeing the two...
, which ex-husband Jimmy becomes suspicious of. After apologizing to her, Caleb and Julie once again enter a relationship, eventually leading to Julie's employment at Caleb's real estate company, the Newport Group. During this time she is still involved in her sexual affair with Luke, which Ryan Atwood
Ryan Atwood
Ryan Francis Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Benjamin McKenzie. A troubled teenager from Chino, California, he is considered the protagonist of the show, beginning as an outcast and is brought to a lifestyle of luxury by the Cohen family and is...
and Seth Cohen
Seth Cohen
Seth Ezekiel Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Adam Brody. Seth was one of the "core four" characters on The O.C. alongside Ryan Atwood, Marissa Cooper, and Summer Roberts.-Background:...
become aware of after spotting Julie and Luke leaving a motel room together. Marissa soon discovers that Julie has been having an affair with her ex-boyfriend and uses this to blackmail her mother when Julie threatens to send her off to rehab once again after running away from home. Caleb unexpectedly proposes to Julie on the opening night of Jimmy Cooper and Sandy Cohen's restaurant, the Lighthouse. Luke sees this and later ends up in hospital after a DUI accident
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
triggered by the event. Upon her marriage to Caleb, Julie immediately becomes the most powerful woman in Newport.
Season 2
In the beginning of the second season the Newport Group is in deep financial debt, and Julie's new husband Caleb is facing possible imprisonment. Julie sends her youngest daughter Kaitlin to boarding school in MontecitoMontecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, claiming their home "was no environment for a child". She is shown to have a turbulent relationship with eldest daughter Marissa, who often rebels against Julie and blackmails her. Julie is horrified to discover that Marissa has been having an affair with their gardener, D.J., and bribes him with the sum of $5000 to keep away from her daughter as she believed she was only using him to get revenge on her. She has the same belief later on in the series when Marissa enters a lesbian relationship with Alex Kelly. During this series Julie also enters an affair with ex-husband Jimmy Cooper, which Marissa later discovers. Jimmy hurriedly leaves for Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
as he worries other people will learn of this secret.
During season two it becomes apparent that Julie's husband Caleb has a sixteen year-old daughter, Lindsay Gardner
Lindsay Gardner
Lindsay Gardner is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Shannon Lucio. Featured only during the first half of season two, Lindsay is the illegitimate daughter of Caleb Nichol by his former secretary, Renee Wheeler...
, from a previous affair. Caleb is eager to adopt her, after suffering a heart attack and realising that his time left on earth is limited, but Julie feels threatened when she realises Caleb's inheritance will be passed on to Lindsay and not her and her daughters. She presses Caleb for a blood test and tries to dissuade Lindsay and her mother, Reneé, by planting seeds of doubt in their minds. The blood test goes ahead, and as expected it is revealed that Caleb is Lindsay's biological father, but Lindsay decides to move to Chicago with her mother to be with the rest of their family. Caleb had appointed Julie CEO of his company, the Newport Group, and in order to give the group an image make-over, Julie decided to launch a magazine, Newport Living. Her past soon came back to haunt her, however, when her ex-lover Lance Baldwin came back into her life. He threatened to release a copy of a sex tape she had participated in when she was a teenager, if she did not pay him $500,000. When Caleb dismissed her concerns and in stead secretly sent two thugs to attack Lance in his motel room, he released the tape at a party originally intended for the magazine launch.
Later on in the series, and following her sex-tape scandal, Caleb files a divorce against Julie after having hired a Private Investigator to spy on her. Much to her shock, Julie learns that Caleb was aware of her previous affairs with Luke and Jimmy and believes she was also involved in an affair with Lance. According to the marriage agreement, Julie was entitled to a sum of $3,000,000 if she had been married for a period of one year. When Caleb tried to file for the divorce, the two had only been married for a period of 11 months and 27 days. In addition to the divorce, Caleb fired Julie as CEO of his company. This was done shortly after he received pictures of Julie kissing Lance at his motel. The timing of Caleb's attacks would essentially leave her with nothing from the marriage. Left with the possibility of being out on the street with two daughters, Julie began to devise plans to secure her life and position. Lance had offered to kill Caleb, but Julie refused the offer knowing that neither of them were killers. When agitated further by Caleb, Julie was forced to finish the job herself and attempted to give him an overdose of sleeping pills in his Margarita cocktail, but found herself unable to go through with it. Minutes later, he died of a heart attack and drowned in their swimming pool. By the end of the season, she seemed to be returning to a relationship with her ex-husband Jimmy (who had returned from Hawaii to attend Caleb's funeral).
Season 3
At the beginning of the third season, Julie's daughter Marissa is facing possible conviction after shooting Ryan's brother Trey AtwoodTrey Atwood
Trey Atwood is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., first portrayed by Bradley Stryker during season one and then by Logan Marshall-Green from season two onward...
in order to save Ryan. However, the incident put Trey into a coma. Worried about her daughter's criminal record and chances of going to college, she devises a scheme to frame Ryan which involves bribing Trey with the sum of $20,000 to confess that his brother shot him. Marissa comes forward and admits to the shooting and subsequently Ryan and Marissa are both saved from possible imprisonment. The reunion of Julie and Jimmy later proves to be ill-fated, as Jimmy's financial woes separate the two once again, effectively leaving Julie a widow. She is forced out of the large mansion she and Caleb once lived in as she is left with no money as it revealed that Caleb Nichol was almost penniless himself when he died. For a time, Julie was able to find accommodation in a condominium, thanks to con-artist Charlotte Morgan, in return to accompany Charlotte in a scheme to steal money from Kirsten, which Julie foils (telling her that "there's only room in this town for one manipulative bitch"). She is forced to move in a trailer park and sends Marissa to stay at her friend Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts
Summer Roberts is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Rachel Bilson.-Background:Summer Roberts grew up in Newport Beach, California, with her wealthy father, Dr. Neil Roberts...
' house. She has begun forming a new business venture with closest friend (and one-time stepdaughter) Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen
Kirsten Cohen is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Kelly Rowan. Kirsten is the wife of Sandy Cohen, mother to Seth Cohen, and the adoptive mother of Ryan Atwood...
. She embarks on a romantic relationship with Dr. Neil Roberts which leads to their engagement (which began on a romantic cruise to Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
, Mexico). Julie and Marissa move in at the Roberts' luxurious mansion where Marissa has already been living for several months. As her eldest daughter's graduation approaches, her youngest daughter, Kaitlin, returns from boarding school and announces that she would be staying in Newport with Julie. Kaitlin is shown to be strikingly similar to her mother in terms of character, being somewhat devious, manipulative and dishonest. Marissa had decided to spend the following year working with her father on a yacht in the Greek Islands, and they believed it would be better if Julie had at least one daughter to care for. As Marissa and Ryan were driving to the airport, a drunken Volchok - Marissa's ex-boyfriend - forced Ryan to lose control of his vehicle, sending them off the road, and thus leading to Marissa's death.
Season 4
At the beginning of the fourth season, Julie, unable to cope with the loss of her daughter Marissa, develops an addiction to pain killers. Her relationship with Dr. Roberts is greatly affected by Marissa's death, which leads a heartbreaking end to their relationship. Dr. Roberts leaves to work in SeattleSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
but allows Julie and Kaitlin stay in his house alongside his daughter Summer and Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend
Taylor Townsend is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., played by Autumn Reeser.-Personality:...
, who has been kicked out of her own house by her mother, Veronica
Veronica Townsend
Veronica Townsend is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Paula Trickey. Highly driven and extremely judgemental, she is a highly successful sports agent and served as the chair of the parents' committee at The Harbor School, a prestigious private school where...
. After Kevin Volchok
Kevin Volchok
Kevin Volchok, more commonly referred to as simply Volchok, is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Cam Gigandet.-Background:...
, the thug who caused Marissa's death, is arrested and jailed, she finally carries herself through her grief. She begins dating her German fitness instructor, and her daughter's tennis instructor, Spencer. She is set up by Kirsten with Gordon Bullit, an investor in their dating service NewMatch. She is persuaded by Gordon Bullit's son, Spencer (Kaitlin's tennis instructor) and the dating service is soon secretly turned into a male prostitution ring. She is later caught out by Kirsten and fired from the company. Julie since has reconciled with Kirsten (although she is still no longer a partner of NewMatch). She recently had to choose between two men, Gordon Bullit and Frank Atwood (Ryan's father) on Valentine's Day. After both men vied for her affections, and she chose Frank whose upbringing resembles her own humble roots.
For some time, Kaitlin had despised Frank and tried to convince her mother to marry Bullit. However, she explains that ever since her dad
Jimmy Cooper (The O.C.)
James "Jimmy" Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Tate Donovan. He is often described as extremely unreliable, immature and cowardly, due to his actions....
leaving, Marissa's
Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character on the FOX television series The O.C., portrayed by Mischa Barton. Marissa was among the original "core four" characters on The O.C. until her death in the season three finale, "The Graduates."...
death, and the numerous dates with other men, they never had a chance to sit down and be a real family. With that answer, Julie and Frank take time apart and she rekindles her relationship with Kaitlin at an ice cream shop. Unfortunately, they are trapped there when an earthquake hits Newport.
In the series finale, 6 months have passed and a pregnant Julie is engaged to Gordon Bullit. But Frank interrupts their wedding and Julie chooses not to go through with the marriage. We also find out that the baby is Frank's, a fact of which Julie had already made Bullit aware of. After deciding to stay single, Julie goes back to undergraduate school and finally completes her degree. She is quoted to have said , "Not now Kaitlin, right now I'm trying to figure out who to marry." Years later in a flash-forward sequence set in 2012, Julie graduates with the support of her family, including Bullit, Frank, Kaitlin, and her son. It is not clear if she is romantically involved with either man.
Memorable quotes
- "The wedding planner had the audacity to question my taste in music. Bob Seger is not 'so over'!" (Season 1)
- "Did she just use the word 'monster truck'? I'd better get over there otherwise there may not even be a wedding!" (Season 1)
- "Well I was much easier to love back then. I was beautiful, and much nicer" (Season 2)
- "Look, Marissa, I'll admit it. I experimented a bit when I was your age. Albeit it involved a little Mötley Crüe and a whole lot of Jäger" (Season 2)
- "You can go on with your life, Cal. But I am never leaving this room. My Howard Hughes phase starts now" (Season 2)
- "You know, Jimmy, when I think about it, I think I talked myself into loving Caleb. Not for the money, but for the security money brings" (Season 3)
- "I told you, Gus. I am not going to your Christmas party. Even if you are deep frying a ham" (Season 3)
- " I'm spitting Skoal into a can, drinking wine from a bottle I unscrewed, and living in a home that—if I wanted to—I could put in reverse. I'm beyond awful" (Season 3)
- "I'll be okay, Kiki. I'm like the Gulf Region. At this point, what's one more hurricane?" (Season 3)
- "It's my own fault. I let you do the scheming. Clearly not your wheelhouse. From now on if someone needs to be manipulated we put me in charge" (Season 3)
- "I tried taking your advice, Kiki. And quite frankly, it sucked. From now on we do things the Julie Cooper way" (Season 3)
- "Listen up, Tommy Lee. You're just the latest in a series of experiments my daughter likes to make when acting out. So enjoy it. Because right here, right now is as good as it gets for you. Soon Marissa's gonna wake up and realize she is so much better than you and your life. Marissa knows that I will be there for her whenever she decides to come home because I am her family. Not some punk with a smirk, three brain cells, and a good coke connection. You tell her that" (Season 3)
- "Marissa, honey, you know it's not too late to go with you. I promise I won't embarrass you. I can pretend to be part of your entourage. Or your Scientology guide" (Season 3)
- "What's the point? The world's one giant amoral toilet bowl, and one day we'll all get flushed" (Season 4)
Trivia
- Melinda ClarkeMelinda ClarkeMelinda Patrice Clarke is an American actress who has primarily worked in television. Clarke is best known for playing Faith Taylor on the daytime drama Days of our Lives, the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., and the professional dominatrix Lady Heather on CSI...
is the only cast member from The O.C.The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
to have actually grown up in Newport Beach, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. - In "The Night Moves", Julie revealed that Bob Seger's 1977 hit song "Night Moves" is the only song she knows all the words to. In Season 1's The Heartbreak when she and Luke Ward first kissed and started their relationship, the song could be heard in the background. Later, in "The Proposal" a drunken Luke blasts the song from his car just before he crashes into a truck.
- Julie's real maiden name is never revealed, though it was mentioned several times that she was of Irish-Catholic descent.
- Julie initially was only suppose to be in a few episodes, but due to the popularity of her character, she (along with Summer Roberts) were added as regulars from episode 13 onward.