Barton is best-known for her role on the small screen series The O.C. Prior to that, as a young girl, she had bit roles in television (All My Children, Once and Again) and movies (The Sixth Sense and Notting Hill.) Barton is also a spokeswoman for the skincare line Neutrogena. Before deciding to act, she was a child model with the Ford Modeling Agency along with close friend Ashley Tisdale and Lindsay Lohan. Barton is know for her funky and off-beat fashion choices.