Even at the height of her popularity on the TV show The O.C., no one ever claimed that Mischa Barton was the second coming of Katherine Hepburn in terms of acting ability. But she’s recently been given the most difficult acting assignment of her life. I’m not talking about her upcoming TV show The Beautiful Life, but having to convince the public that her recent “involuntary commitment” into the nuthouse was because of wisdom tooth surgery.

She told TIME OUT NEW YORK that the reason she was in a fragile emotional state wasn’t because of her reported hard drug and alcohol abuse but because she was depressed after a botched removal of wisdom teeth required second surgery. Don’t believe me? Read for yourself:

“Here’s what happened: Before the show started, I was traveling abroad for contract stuff and I went through a terrible surgery—a wisdom tooth surgery, all four removed. It was a nightmare. I’ve never had surgery before—it all went wrong and I had to have a second surgery and it almost delayed shooting because it was a nightmare to me, because I couldn’t deal with the thought of not getting there on time. So with the travel, and surgery and prep for the show—it was hell.”

You’d pretty much have to be the love child of Sean Penn and Kate Winslet to have the acting options to sell me on that story and not some starlet like Barton. Couldn’t she have just used “exhaustion” like everyone else?

To say that Anne Heche has a history with acting bizarre is like saying that Paris Hilton sometimes says dumb things. While she has starred in hit films and TV shows (including her latest film Spread and HBO show Hung), she’s probably more known for a personal life that has included high-profile relationships with men (Steve Martin, Lindsey Buckingham) and women (Ellen DeGeneres) and her emotional meltdowns.

Last week, Heche added another “public insanity” notch to her belt, although she at least avoided showing up at a stranger’s house in Fresno while waiting for the spaceship. Instead, as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, she went off on a lengthy, uncomfortable rant against her ex-husband Coley Laffoon, repeatedly calling him “lazy,” mocking his soccer coaching aspirations with their son and intimating that he lives off of the alimony check he receives from her.

That’s just…awkward and painful to watch. Even Letterman seemed uncomfortable, and he’s dealt with Joaquin Phoenix. Still, it’s good to know that regardless of if she’s gay or straight this week, Anne Heche is always a fashionable and entertaining train wreck.