Rachel Bilson insists the Adam Brody renaissance has 'always been there'

The duo co-starred on the teen sitcom "The O.C." and dated for three years.

Everybody wants this: Rachel Bilson weighed in on the Adam Brody renaissance in the wake of the success of Netflix's Nobody Wants This.

“I feel like it's always been there," Bilson told PEOPLE when asked if a renaissance was underway. "But if it is, it's well deserved.” Bilson starred opposite Brody on the Fox teen drama The O.C., and the two dated for three years in the early aughts.

Related: Welcome back to the O.C., bitch! Rachel Bilson revives Summer Roberts to serve up cocktails in tequila ads

“I mean, he is awesome," added Bilson. "He's the best.” Though Bilson has yet to tune into the Netflix hit, she's "excited" by the success. "I hear everyone loves it and I couldn't be more excited," she said, calling Brody and his costar Kristen Bell "my people."

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

"I'm really excited about it and excited for them," she said.

From creator Erin Foster, Nobody Wants This follows the unorthodox love story between an agnostic sex podcaster (Bell) and a newly single rabbi (Brody). The semi-autobiographical series also starring Justine Lupe, Jackie Tohn, Sherry Cola, and Timothy Simons became a runaway hit as viewers swooned over Brody's "hot rabbi." It has since been renewed for season 2.

The thirst over "hot rabbi" has reignited discussions about Brody's beloved The O.C. character Seth Cohen, with many comparing the two characters. The teen soap opera, which ran for four seasons between 2003 and 2007, centered on Ben McKenzie's wayward teen Ryan Atwood as he's taken in by the Cohen family and finds himself navigating life in Newport Beach. Brody played his bestie Seth, also a Jewish character who famously coined "Chrismukkah" (a celebration of both Christmas and Hanukkah).

Related: Adam Brody and Nobody Wants This creator Erin Foster reveal how they crafted that perfect first kiss

Bilson played Brody's love interest Summer Roberts, and the two also dated in real life between 2003 and 2006. The two delighted fans when Bilson tapped Brody to appear in an episode of her O.C. rewatch podcast Welcome to the O.C., Bitches, co-hosted with costar Melinda Clarke, back in 2021. The conversation included reflections on navigating fame as young stars and the possibility of a revival, which Brody conceded would not work well in the current era.

“I kind of don’t think it can be done because socially we’re in a different place and we’re in a more conscious place,” Brody said. "For me, in a post-Donald Trump America to go, ‘Let’s go back to Orange County,’ I feel like you have to have a real reckoning politically and socially, and is that what people want to see with this show? I don’t know. And is there a way to do both? There is, I suppose, but in my eyes, I probably want to torch it more than the fans would want.”

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.