EXCLUSIVE: Adam Brody Says He Auditioned for 'Dawson's Creek' Before Landing 'The O.C.'

Before StartUp star Adam Brody broke through as Seth Cohen on The O.C., he went out for several coveted TV projects when he was first starting out -- including one very popular WB teen soap.

“I can’t remember specifically, but some very early ones -- the Power Rangers maybe, definitely Dawson’s Creek. I read with Scott Speedman and I didn’t get it,” the 37-year-old actor-producer revealed to ET’s Katie Krause in our Burbank studio on Monday.

Brody insists, though, that he didn’t go out for the role of Pacey on Dawson’s, which was played by Joshua Jackson.

“It was later on,” he recalled. “That was [one of] my first [auditions] -- it felt like, ‘Whoa, this is a real TV show,’ and Blue’s Clues! To be the dude [Steve]. I would have killed for that role when I was 19, 20. I remember going, ‘This would be an alright life. This dog and me on this children’s show.’”

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Brody reflected on his time on The O.C., sharing that the first year on the Fox megahit was a whirlwind. 

“Even filming the pilot, like, we got picked up very early, almost during or a week after,” he said. “I don’t really have a fame story, but I do remember that it seemed like we were getting a lot of greenlights, even when we were filming the pilot.”

When asked if he was open to an O.C. reunion at some point in the future, Brody joked, “You know, for the right amount of money … I’ll do Blue’s Clues.”

So don’t count on an O.C. reunion any time soon. But Brody is looking ahead to the new season of StartUp, the Crackle digital series he stars and produces alongside new cast member Ron Perlman, that returns this week. In it, Brody plays Nick, the ambitious son of a criminal, who finds himself in a bit of a bind at the start of season two.

“He’s on the outs. He’s got an open FBI investigation against him, so he’s waiting tables. Professionally speaking, he’s lower than he was in the first [season],” Brody previewed of Nick’s journey.

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Brody spoke glowingly of Perlman, who is a co-producer on the series, calling him “a legend.”

“He’s a real character and he’s got an amazing face and voice and presence,” he said. “It’s such a treat to see a great actor perform dialogue with you and in front of you. He’s a good dance partner and he’s a generous guy and a generous actor.”

The new season of StartUp introduces Arknet, an anonymous dark web, and Brody explained why he remains absent on social media -- though he’s warming to the idea of joining eventually.

“I’m definitely not opposed,” he said. “It’s part laziness. It seems, on one hand, I will eventually because I want to be part of the 21st century. So I feel like I’m going to have to and that’s fine, but for the moment, I’m quite happy with my life and I don’t mess with it.”

Brody explained why he’s been hesitant to make the jump to Twitter or Instagram, later saying he probably does “have a lot to say”: “You don't have to overshare, not that that's oversharing, but you don't have to -- you can share as little [as you want].”

StartUp returns for season two on Thursday, Sept. 28 on Crackle.

​Leighton Meester and Adam Brody Totally 'Laugh' That Blair Waldorf and Seth Cohen Wound Up Together

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