Rachel Bilson has left Orange County far behind as she swaps skimpy bikinis for a white coat in a new hit medical drama.

EVEN wearing a starched white doctor’s coat, it’s easy to see why Rachel Bilson is so often rated near the top of the ‘100 Sexiest Women’ lists.

Her skin is porcelain, her hair lush. My diagnosis of the woman sitting opposite me in a mocked-up consulting room? Impossibly gorgeous.

We are at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, Los Angeles, on the set of Hart of Dixie, the hit US series in which Bilson stars as the title character, Dr Zoe Hart. Previously best known for her role as the spoilt Summer Roberts in The OC, this time round Bilson plays a smart New York medic who struggles with life in a rural backwater when she inherits a tiny country practice in Bluebell, Alabama. The show, the new season of which starts in the UK tomorrow, is a classic ‘fish out of water’ drama.

But Bilson now has a profile that stretches way beyond acting. She has become a global fashion icon, writing a regular column for the glossy American magazine Style, has produced a line for DKNY Jeans, and designs footwear for her company ShoeMint, now available in the UK. She is, as one recent magazine headline put it, a closet genius.

Yet the 31-year-old doesn’t regard herself as any sort of style role model. A self-confessed “homebody”, she’s happiest in her pyjamas. “My mother just got me a pair of Miss Piggy pyjamas, and I love them,” she says. “I’m not averse to a onesie either. I think they’re really comfortable.”

She laughs off that fashion-forward status, saying, “It embarrasses me more than anything. If girls say they like what you wear, that’s more of a compliment than guys saying it. But ultimately, you have to dress for yourself. It’s very flattering to be seen as a fashion icon, especially as it means I can get away with some of the things I get away with. I look back at some of the things I wore, particularly in the early years, and think, ‘That was a little scary.’”

In fact, she gives much of the credit for how she looks to someone else. “My stylist Nicole will say to me, ‘That looks great in real life, but it will look different in photographs’. You have to pay attention to how your clothes make you look. Being on camera can make parts of your body, like your hips, look very different. But above all, it’s important to be happy with yourself.”

Bilson, who has starred in movies including The Last Kiss, Waiting for Forever, Life Happens, The To Do List and Jumper, where she met her fiancé Hayden Christensen (more of whom later), says she puts little thought into what she wears when out and about in LA. “I just throw things on. I’m a big James T-shirt girl. Then I like to accessorise that. Sometimes I think an outfit will look silly, but what always comes first to me is to be comfortable.”

This relaxed attitude extends to her diet, and she insists she doesn’t follow a secret regime to stay in shape and is adamant she would never consider plastic surgery. “I’m aware of what I eat, but I don’t do crazy macrobiotic diets. How often do I work out? I hate the gym, but if I’m active, that’s fine. I like to ride horses or play tennis.”

An avowed “vintage fan, through and through”, she acquired that passion from her mother, therapist Janice Bilson, while her appreciation of high fashion labels like Chanel was inherited from her aunt, film producer Julie Bilson Ahlberg. However, the actress lost many of her most treasured outfits when her home was burgled several times by the so-called Bling Ring (the subject of the new Sofia Coppola film starring Emma Watson, which screened at Cannes last month). She says, “They took all my designer bags and shoes. I’m not very excited about the film because I don’t want it to be glorified. However, the theft has made me realise what’s important in life. I think I have been well brought up, so I know what’s important in life.”

She also knows what’s important in clothing, and she has a well-judged list of dos and don’ts. “It’s harder for me to wear high-waisted jeans because I’m very short and curvy. But I have learned that wearing nude shoes with a dress helps to elongate your legs. I like that because I’m so short.”

Often described as a fashion junkie, she considers what single item she might save from a burning building. “That’s hard. I love bags, particularly ones by Chanel and Alexander Wang. But the one piece that I could not live without would be my Zara harem drop-crotch pants. They’re so comfortable. They’re an excuse to wear pyjamas outside.”

Bilson assesses the similarity between her own style and that of her Hart of Dixie alter ego. “Zoe is very sophisticated and more conservative than I am. I’m more laid-back and casual. I don’t dress up that much. She wears heels all the time. I’d like to do that because in real life I’m only 5ft 2in. I have been trained how to wear heels because of my height.

“But I do get to wear some of my clothes in the show. Some of my shoes have been incorporated, and I wore my own hoodie when it was cold. I was very excited about that because most of the time when you’re shooting you’re not very comfortable.”

Nevertheless, Bilson says she could not resist buying one of her character’s outfits. “There was a navy cape by Vince that I just had to have. It’s so cosy, like a blanket. It’s great to wear when you’re travelling.”

She hopes viewers will be intrigued by a love triangle that forms the heart of the second series of Dixie. “A love triangle always works as a dramatic device. You form a team, like we all did in Twilight – Team Edward against Team Jacob. People are drawn to that and like to have a team to root for.

“Who would I choose? I don’t know. I’ve had my time with bad boys in the past. I’ve never dated a well put-together, preppy lawyer. But I would say I’m somewhere in the middle – wherever that is.”

In real life she has been engaged to Christensen since 2008 and says, “I’m a really good girlfriend – I always put all that first in my life. I’m definitely the person who would make him his favourite dinner to come home to.”

She even reveals that starting a family may well be on the agenda soon. “I definitely have family on the brain. Having kids is something I want to see in my future – I hope.”

Bilson and Christensen, still probably best known for his performance as the young Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, lead a low-key life. They spend time walking her dog, named Thurman Merman. She says, “My dog can be very naughty, but he’s still the love of my life. He only loves very few people, so I’m very lucky.”

Her other passion is cooking. “I like to be a cosy cook. My mum is Italian, so I like to make homemade pasta with meatballs. I also love preparing a very creative salad or doing meatloaf or a proper roast chicken.”

And you won’t see her falling out of Hollywood clubs in the early hours. “I started clubbing when I was really young, so I got it out of my system a long time ago,” she says.

Reflecting on the public obsession with celebrity, she says, “You try not to pay attention to all that. As much as possible, you just try to live your life. Of course, there are times when it’s annoying. The paparazzi follow you to the gas station or the market. Really? But ultimately I feel bad for them because there’s nothing to photograph. I’m basically a pretty boring person.”

Nor would she agree to posing in her underwear for any of the lads’ magazines. She says. “I think your body is sacred. It’s there to share with a loved one. It’s not for the whole world to see.”

Her perfect night in would constitute cooking dinner. “Then we would watch a whole TV series on demand. I’m currently watching both Homeland and Top Chef. I stay at home so much, I don’t get bothered. I’m a real homebody. The minute I get home, I get into my pyjamas.” Yes, they are the Miss Piggy ones.

Consider us very excited, because the second season of Hart of Dixie is hitting UK screens on Really on Monday! We started watching because of our love of Rachel Bilson, but then the show won us over with its charm and cast of characters – including Bluebell’s resident bad boy Wade (Wilson Bethel).

We recently gave Wilson a ring to have a chat about the new season, Zoe and Wade finally getting it on (and their “sexual energy”, oo-er), Wade becoming more than just a bad boy, getting fired from The OC and, er, shirtlessness…

Congratulations on Hart of Dixie getting renewed for a third season! How does it feel to know you’re going to get to stick around for a little longer?
“I mean, it’s such a great opportunity in multiple regards, partly just because I really enjoy working on Hart of Dixie. The cast are obviously a great bunch, the crew, the writers. Over the course of two years it’s become a pretty cool family, so there’s that element of it which I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of. And then of course there’s also the story element and I’m really excited to see what possibilities could arise story-wise in another year of shooting and I think there’s some really good places for Wade to go and for the whole town of Bluebell to go, so that to me is also a really kind of thrilling enterprise. You get to be a character over the course of a season, two seasons, three seasons and then suddenly you watch this full development.”

Over in the UK, the last thing we saw was Wade and Zoe getting together – were you pleased that finally happened?
“Yeah! You know, I think with that much sexual tension in a relationship, everybody gets to breathe a sigh of relief when it’s finally manifested. So yeah, I think it was definitely a long time coming and probably overdue by the time it happened!”

So going into season two, what’s the situation with Zoe and Wade? Are they a couple? Is she with George? What’s going on?
“I think what you’ll see at the beginning of season two is a lot of Zoe trying to figure out what the best course for her is. If she wasn’t firmly situated in a love triangle before, she certainly is now. And she’s got some decisions to make because she’s basically got her choice of men a little bit.”

Who do you think she belongs with? I guess you’re probably a little biased…
“I was just about to say! As far as my job goes, so much depends on, ‘Oh, of course she belongs with Wade!’ No, look, at the end of the day I think Wade and Zoe have a lot of chemistry and I think there’s something that – both for me playing the character, and also over the last two years with fans’ response and stuff like that – it seems that people really respond to the very opposing forces that are Zoe and Wade. But those forces, when they kind of get charged with the sexual energy, it’s pretty fun to watch. The sexual energy, but also the needling and the kind of mutual antagonisation.”

It seems like kind of a head versus heart thing.
“I would definitely agree with that, yeah. And as we all know, going with your head is never the move!”

What about Wade and George – is there going to be any tension between them given the Zoe situation?
“Yeah – if I remember correctly, it kind of comes to a pretty abrupt head in the first episode of the second season. I mean, look – George basically left his bride-to-be at the altar for Zoe, so he’s got a lot at stake. But the nice thing is that at the end of the day this is Bluebell we’re talking about – we’re not doing a Shakespeare tragedy! No-one’s going to be killed! That I know of…”

When you first started the show, was it strange working with Rachel given that you kind of started your career with a guest role on The OC?
“[Laughs] Yeah – well, it definitely felt like I’d come full circle a little bit. I definitely felt a lot better about working with her in this context than I did then, which is like, I was f**king scared s**tless, it was my first job ever, and I basically got fired from it! So it was good to feel that I was part of something rather than this insignificant pawn in a machine that didn’t want me! It’s a long story but there you have it!”

Well you must feel a lot more comfortable now, at least.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like I said, it feels good to know I’m actually a real part of the team now.”

Question: Please tell me Zoe is going to go back to Wade after she takes some time for herself on Hart of Dixie? —Amanda

Ausiello: Wilson Bethel says a full-fledged Zoe-Wade “scenario” in Season 3 “seems pretty logical,” although he believes it was smart for the show to end the season with Zoe pulling a Kelly Taylor. “It’s probably good that there’s a bit of anticipation about what she will do” heading into the fall.

Rachel Bilson featured in June issue of Glamour UK with one exclusive behind-the-scenes peek of her “Hart of Dixie” wardrobe. Check out the scans!

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  Magazine Scanss > 2013 > Glamour UK [June 2013]

Rachel Bilson shared the secrets behind her wardrobe on TV series Hart of Dixie. The Hart of Dixie actress gave a behind-the-scenes peek into her closet for the series.

The petite brunette explained that she trusts the on-set costume designer Meredith Markworth-Pollack not to dress her in anything she can’t pull off.

“It’s hard for me to wear high-waisted shorts or jeans because I’m short. I love a nude shoe with a skirt or dress, because it elongates your legs. Anything that makes me look taller…,” Rachel told the UK edition of Glamour magazine.

“I trust Meredith implicitly. Occasionally, there might be a pair of jeans I’ll complain doesn’t fit, but that’s probably more of a time-of-the-month thing where I’m in a bad mood!”

The American star says there are similar things to consider when dressing for the screen as there are when attending high profile events. Rachel says it is important to get the fit of clothes just right as it can be unflattering to wear things that are too loose or too clingy.

“Dressing for TV is similar to dressing for the red carpet,” she explained. “There are things that do and don’t translate well for the camera, like something that fits really well around the hips is important. You don’t want anything too baggy.”

The CW Picks Up Five New Dramas And Adds More Original Programming For 2013-2014 Season. Monday Nights Offer Southern Charm and Epic Romance With “Hart of Dixie” and “Beauty And The Beast”

NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 — The CW Network presented its 2013-14 broadcast schedule today to advertisers, affiliates and national media at the New York City Center in New York City. The Swedish DJ duo Icona Pop opened the show with their smash Top Ten hit “I Love It.”

The CW will launch its fall season in October 2013. Premiere dates to be announced at a later time.

Monday nights are the new home for Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart of BlueBell, Alabama on HART OF DIXIE from 8:00-9:00p.m

Following is The CW’s 2013-2014 primetime schedule, a night-by-night breakdown and accompanying details on all the programs.

THE CW’s 2013-2014 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

MONDAY 8:00-9:00 PM – HART OF DIXIE (New Night)

I have added 767 HD captures with Rachel Bilson from the final episode “On the Road Again” of second season “Hart of Dixie”. Did you guys liked this episode? Personally, i’m looking forward to another season!

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  Hart of Dixie > Season 2 > Screencaps > 2×22 On the Road Again

I have added 554 HD captures with Rachel Bilson from episode 21 “I’m Moving On” of second season “Hart of Dixie”. Don’t miss season finale next week!

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  Hart of Dixie > Season 2 > Screencaps > 2×21 I’m Moving On