tedious
"The writers needed a big finale, and they didn't know what to do with Marissa anymore; she'd been through pretty much everything. I mean, I worked tediously for those three years and my character did a lot." - Mischa Barton, in Teen Vogue, on her departure from The O.C.
Mischa has not made an error, but she has made an interesting choice of words.
The adjective "tedious" means "overly dull, slow, or boring; monotonous," and the adverb "tediously" means "in a dull, slow, or boring manner; monotonously." Mischa says she "worked tediously," which means that she performed her role as Melissa in a dull, slow, or boring manner for three years. Mischa probably did not intend to characterize her own approach to her work in such an unflattering and negative way.
In the article, the writer points out Mischa's choice of words and wonders if it was "deliberate" or "innocent" or if it was possibly "some kind of Freudian slip." The writer postulates that perhaps Mischa meant to say that she was "tireless" in her work on the show.
This might be what Mischa intended to say:
"I mean, I worked tirelessly for those three years and my character did a lot."
