Template:* Character E *Kaitlin Cooper was a minor character, who became main in the Season 4 of "The O.C." . She was portrayed by Shailene Woodley (in Season 1) and by Willa Holland (in Season 3 and 4).
Kaitlin is the younger sister of the popular : Marissa Cooper, the daughter of Julie and her ex husband : Jimmy Cooper, the older half sister of a child whose name is unknown. Kaitlin grew up with her wealthy family, in Newport Beach, spending her time riding her pony named China. Her house, which she shares with her mother, is next to The Cohen Family property.
Story of the Character
Life before Season 1
Kaitlin Cooper was born in Newport Beach, California, she was born into and lived a life of luxury together with her parents and older sister Marissa.
Season 1 : Kaitlin's life consisted of behaving like a rich child and balding her pony
During the first season Kaitlin was seen mostly at events with her family, or when she comes and goes from riding her pony, but she was not an important character anyway. Her life is then overwhelmed by the scandal of her father's misappropriation, and so the child has continued to live with her mother in her childhood home. But when her mother married Caleb Nichol, it is assumed that she had moved in the house, which the man had built for her mother.
Season 2 : Kaitlin had been sent to a boarding school
In this season, Kaitlin is only mentioned a few times - once during a conversation between Caleb and Julie, another in a conversation between Marissa and Jimmy, and another between Julie and Jimmy. During a particular conversation it is revealed that Julie has sent Kaitlin away to a boarding school, to get her away from all the craziness that is going on with Marissa. Kaitlin is not really seen or mentioned again until the third season.
Season 3 : Kaitlin returns home, grown up, creates various problems to her sister
At the beginning of this season she shows up on the Cohens' front step looking for her mother. When Ryan and Seth first open the door they do not recognize the girl as Kaitlin, but they soon realize who she is and are surprised by how much Kaitlin has grew up in the time she has been absent. Seth puts it best when he says "Mini-Coop not so mini".
Not too long after her arrival, Kaitlin begins to stir up trouble for her older sister and starts to flirt with Johnny Harper, a surfer who has feelings for Marissa. She also causes trouble when some boys show up looking for her, and money she stole supposedly to help with a friend's abortion. As much trouble as she causes, Kaitlin does help in forcing Marissa to deal with her feelings towards Johnny even after his death. Kaitlin then returns to school but is seen again shortly when she calls Marissa for help with some trouble she has gotten into at school.
Kaitlin comes home again for good in the third season finale, under the pretense that she has come for her sister's graduation, but she then reveals that she has come home so that she can rule Marissa's former high school, Harbor.
Season 4 : The maturation of the character and the bond with her mother
In this season, Kaitlin becomes a main character as she lives with her mother in the house of Summer's father, Dr. Neil Roberts. Kaitlin is the only character who seems unaffected by Marissa's passing (probably due to the fact that she and Marissa didn't have a very strong relationship), but she starts to get very unpredictable : stealing her mother's car, throwing parties without permission, dressing provocatively, flirting with older men, and other forms of revolt typical of teenagers. Kaitlin is drawn to Will who is in her class, but their relationship won't get very far.
She becomes friends with the Ward twins ; Luke Ward's younger brothers, who stayed to live with their mother in Newport. They are completely under her spell and she does not hesitate to play with them to use them as she wants. However, she seems to like them a lot; they are the only true friends of her age, the others judging or esteeming her because she is the little sister of Marissa Cooper.
Kaitlin then becomes attached to Gordon Bullit, a man who tries to go out with his mother. Little by little, a daughter-father relationship will be formed between them. She convinces Bullit that Julie loves him. Really wishing for a relationship between them, Kaitlin emails Bullit pretending to be her mother confessing her feelings to Bullit. Bullit will then ask his mother in marriage. She tries to talk to them about emails but it's too late, Bullit asks and Julie says no. But for Kaitlin she agrees to see him again and try. Later, it becomes clear that Julie is seeing Ryan's biological father, Frank Atwood. When Kaitlin finds out she tries to end their relationship. Later, however, she will learn to appreciate Frank when her mother becomes pregnant with him.
In the episode of the parallel world it is shown that Kaillin would have been without the arrival of Ryan in Newport, 3 years earlier a studious student a kind of little prodigy and that she would have returned to the university of Berkeley with 2 years of advanced.
In the final scenes of the series nt can see her having become a studious student, we also see her cheering on her mother after graduation. And we can see her with her little brother, Frank and Bullit.