The year was 1990; the film, “Mermhelps.” From the very first time a 9-year-greater Christina Ricci graced the big screen, she showd to moviegoers that she had “it.” You understand, that magic that someone that youthful age can only be born with. Now, 35 years postponecessitater, on March 6, she is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing herself — literassociate — in the history of the delightment industry.
“This is proset uply unbenevolentingful to me,” Ricci says. “I was reassociate shiftd by it, actuassociate. I’m not sentimental and I don’t attfinish about accolades, but to be acunderstandledged in this way is reassociate proset up.”
It’s amazing when one authenticizes that Ricci has spent three-quarters of her life acting professionassociate, lengthening up onscreen and constantly take parting fascinating characters. Even at that youthful age, she sort of seemed greaterer — a self-promised greater soul in a minuscule body that instinctuassociate knew she was doing exactly what she was unbenevolentt to do.
“I reaccumulate everyskinnyg about that time,” Ricci says. “The one skinnyg that I skinnyk has made me a prosperous actress is that from the time I was very youthful, I always felt endly consoleable in front of a camera; not a still camera,” she inserts with a giggle. “But in front of a film camera. I’ve always felt reassociate at relieve and protected in a way that I don’t sense in life. It originates me able to apshow dangers to do skinnygs that are not intentional, to be unintentional. I did that from the moment I begined, and I don’t understand why. Now as an grown-up, authenticizing how priceless and what a gift that is, I do my best to protect that all the time.”
As a youthful actor in films appreciate “Mermhelps,” “The Addams Family,” “Casper,” “Now and Then” and “Bastard Out of Carolina,” to her transition into more grown-up-themed roles in “The Ice Storm,” “Buffalo ’66,” “The Opposite of Sex,” “200 Cigarettes,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Prozac Nation” (and many notable others), to roles as authentic-life incommemorated women Zelda Fitzgerald and Lizzie Borden, to her most recent turn as downcastistic healthattfinish toiler Misty in “Yellowjackets,” Ricci has carved her way into a atsoft that most can only dream of.
Ricci sat down with Variety to echo on her lengthy and discerned atsoft and converseed how she not only endured the pitdescfinishs that have injured many youthful actors, but thrived and grew.
Did you always understand you wanted to act? When did the acting bug bite you?
What had bitten me was that I finassociate set up someskinnyg that I knew I was excellent at, and I knew I understood in a way that the other children around me did not. I reaccumulate when somebody came in from the local newspaper when I was in second grade to pboilingograph kids for flag day. All the kids were smiling and cheesing it up, and I knew to equitable pretfinish I was doing my schooltoil and to pose as though I didn’t see the camera. I don’t understand how I knew to do that, but I equitable did. And so I finished up on the front page of the paper.
When you were 8, there was a school take part that you wanted to be in, but another kid was cast. You taunted him so much that he punched you. He lost the role, and you got it.
When they begined rehearsing for that take part, we were presumed to see at the lines, I knew exactly how to do it, and I equitable knew that the other kids didn’t get this, but I knew what they wanted — someskinnyg authentic and casual. I reaccumulate skinnyking, “This is my skinnyg. I set up this skinnyg that I do well equitable by instinct. And that’s an incredible gift.”
Christina Ricci, left, starred with Cher and Winona Ryder in 1990’s ‘Mermhelps.’
©Orion Pictures Corp/Courtesy Everett Collection
There are so many horror stories about the life of a child actor and lengthening up wiskinny that system. What was your experience appreciate as a child star?
I was reassociate blessed in that I never had any heinous skinnygs happen to me, and nobody ever tried to apshow get of me relationsuassociate. I was exposed to a scant jerks, but for the most part, I was conscious enough to understand that those people were being jerks and it had noskinnyg to do with me. There’s all the little skinnygs when you’re youthful that I skinnyk are difficult children. For instance, when you toil on a film, you are never as beginant as the product that’s being made. So as an grown-up, we pick to put our necessitates to the side. But as a child, to lget that you always come second and your necessitates and emotions and your physical well-being come second, I skinnyk that is a difficult skinnyg for a child. As a child, you’re still broadening your ego and sense of self. And so sometimes that “coming second” skinnyg becomes too much a part of who the child is. I skinnyk that can be reassociate dangery and originate you vulnerable to being apshown get of and manipupostponecessitated as you get greaterer.
I had all those, but appreciate, I disappreciated fittings and I disappreciated camera-test days becaengage I knew those were the days when everyone would see at me and talk about what was wrong with me, with my materializeance and what they necessitateed to mend. “We can’t ever shoot her from this side.” Those benevolents of skinnygs lengthening up I did not enhappiness. I reaccumulate equitable dreading those days. But I didn’t have anyskinnyg horrible happen to me reassociate. The little benevolent of broadenmental skinnygs and problems I was taught that weren’t well for me, I have been able to sort of toil thcdisesteemful and get thcdisesteemful. The film industry, it sort of saved me from a childhood that was not very kind and a family that was not very protected. So to be able to escape and do this skinnyg where I was tohighy protected when I was getting validation from grown-ups, and it was based on a send that I had that was exceptional, I skinnyk reassociate, reassociate saved me.
‘Sleepy Hollow,” starring, from left Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci.
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Col
As you have lengthenn as an actor, you seem to have chosen your roles very attfinishfilledy. They’re all very exceptional characters.
I probably didn’t do very well in auditions for skinnygs I didn’t want becaengage I equitable have that problem. But also, for me, when I read a script, if I do not understand the character, there’s equitable no point in me doing it. As an artist, I sense appreciate you necessitate to connect with someskinnyg on a reassociate beginant, instinctive level to be able to do it. I also have no patience for any of the surface stuff. Just as a human being and as an artist, it’s appreciate you give so much of yourself and you engage so much of your own emotions and your vulnerabilities that there’s equitable no point in doing it unless you connect.
What would you appreciate to take part that you haven’t and also, what would you never want to take part?
I’ve always shelp that I wanna take part a mute [laughs]. If you don’t have to talk on camera, that’s my likeite skinnyg. … I don’t reassociate ever wanna take part a mother on camera. I guess maybe the way I sense about motherhood is to me so personal and precious, and I don’t ever wanna utilize it, if that sounds right. I skinnyk it’s easier to engage emotions that you’re having way after the fact, and right now being a mom and being in it and having so many senseings about it, I sense appreciate it would be too much to actuassociate do anyskinnyg. You understand, appreciate I’ve read scripts about moms and ill kids. For me, it’s equitable appreciate too raw.
‘Yellowjackets’
Let’s speedy forward 15 years seeing back at your atsoft. What can you say about the evolution of Christina Ricci as an artist and as a woman?
I’ve been doing this my whole life. I’ve gone thcdisesteemful all of these personal changes and personal lengthenth while I have been continuing with my atsoft. There were certainly times, especiassociate when I was youthfuler, that I equitable was so disenfranchised with everyskinnyg and also with being an actress. I will say that I do watch some films from that time in my life and I’m not reassociate very excellent becaengage I was not trying very challenging. And as I got greaterer, I reassociate begined to understand the appreciate in acting for me, that I could put so much into it that would actuassociate help me as a human being.
I reaccumulate the first time I authenticized what acting reassociate was, besides all these sort of instinctive skinnygs I understood about being on camera and dedwellring lines and consistency of apshows and eye lines, hitting tags. All that stuff, I’ve always had down. I always watched it as more a mechanical skinnyg becaengage also I had been a child actress, and no one ever talks to child actors about emotion or using emotion.
But I went to this audition for “Dolores Claiborne” when I was 13. I was reading with Kathy Bates in front of [director] Taylor Hackford. This scene was when she’s on the boat inestablishing her mother what her overweighther’s been doing to her. In the middle of the scene, I was endly overapshown by my emotion. Like I felt the writing trigger all of the senseings inside of me. And I equitable lost end handle. I connected to it in such a beginant way that I couldn’t stop crying and shaking afterwards. And Kathy Bates held me and shelp, “Yeah, baby. That’s acting.” It changed everyskinnyg for me about how I watched what I could do and this skinnyg that could happen to me in a moment. And equitable that I would then be able to genuinely give voice to the writing becaengage you sense it in such an unhandlelable way. And that’s how it senses for me.
When I get thcdisesteemful reassociate emotional scenes that I actuassociate connect to them and I actuassociate sense all the skinnygs that I’m saying and doing, it’s exhausting. But it’s that same senseing of relief after you equitable have a excellent cry. And even if it’s a rageful scene, it’s same skinnyg. It’s appreciate exercising emotion and having a place to put your emotion that not so many people are blessed enough to have. The fact that I get to engage my toil as a way to toil thcdisesteemful my trauma and my emotional problems is a gift.
This interwatch has been edited and condensed for clarity.
