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Christina Ricci
Interview - E Online 1997
by Veronica Mixon

Staring down rage, angst and cable TV with the new teen queen of quirk

Christina Ricci could have gone the carved-out child-star route. Indeed, after The Addams Family, it looked as though she was headed down that very road, with roles in Casper and That Darn Cat. Then Ricci veered left and started taking on the kind of dark, deep and disturbing characters that might make even Wednesday Addams squirm. Last year in The Ice Storm, the once cherubic Ricci--who had pranced and danced through her feature debut, Mermaids--became a symbol for teen dysfunction and despair. And there's been no turning back. The 18-year-old native Angeleno--who recently became a New Yorker--has seven new projects (that means seven whacked-out characters) on the way, including two just released: The Opposite of Sex, in which she's a delinquent who seduces her gay brother's lover; and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, wherein she acts the drugged-out runaway. In June, Ricci stars as the kidnap victim who falls for her abductor in Buffalo 66. And coming soon: I Woke Up Early the Day I Died, 200 Cigarettes, Desert Blue and John Waters' Pecker. Not exactly your typical slate of pics for a teenage star. But then again, Ricci's not exactly your typical teen.


You seem to be very savvy at choosing roles. How do you decide which parts to take?

I have very strong opinions about things, and there are certain things in ricci q&alife I just cannot bear. A lot of characters--especially for people my age--are martyrs or victims. I can't stand martyrdom. I can't play those characters. So, you take out all the martyrs, and you're left with what I've done.

I just make sure it's interesting and the script isn't offensive--and offensive to me, personally. I try to do things I'm into and would enjoy being in. Right now, the big thing is teenage horror movies, and they're just kinda stupid. They're fun in that stupid 90210 kinda way, but still, I don't think I could fit, even if I wanted to.

Your recent characters seem to be consumed by sexual feelings. How are you able to give them such a realistic and vulnerable take?

Well, it's not mine. It's the directors'. So, I'm always protected by that. It's very easy to be free about something when it's not mine. Some of it is embarrassing--sex scenes and stuff. But I've always been the kind of person who will just dive into anything I'm afraid of. I don't know if it's a good trait, but it seems to work.

What was it like working with Terry Gilliam on Fear and Loathing?
I've always wanted to work with Terry. I was so excited. And he's this great, really sweet, really enthusiastic guy. He ricci q&areminds me of a teddy bear. I don't know if that's going to be insulting to him, but I just love him.

In The Opposite of Sex, your character is so full of rage.
How did you get in the mood?

I'm a teenager, so that already makes me a little angstful. I'm sure I had some of that pent up. I get annoyed very easily, especially when I'm working. You sit in a chair, and someone puts makeup on you for, like, an hour and does your hair for, like, another half hour. That is really annoying to me for some reason.

Then people tell you where to stand. And there's always someone on the set who [acts] like the biggest jerk. I have, like, all these little annoying things that have built up inside me where I'm just so angry. I guess that's it. Other than that, you're supposed to be angry. So, you just do it.

Don Roos, who directed The Opposite of Sex, said what he loved about your
performance was its lack of sentimentality. Is that you?

Yeah. He wanted me to cry at the end when I'm doing the voice-over. And I said it's so much better if you can tell she's about to but ricci q&ashe refuses. She's doesn't show how she really feels, so why do that at the end?

For me, personally, I can't stand blatant emotion. I think it's so much more interesting if someone is upset but they're not crying. I don't like anything that's obvious or manipulative in movies.

But so many scripts are emotional.

Yeah. I just stay away from them. They give me the creeps when I read them. It's too much.

What about in real life--how do you deal with the Hollywood scene?

I'm not very good at it. Sometimes, I happen to run into it, and I'm like, Ohhh! But they accept me for some reason, some of them.

Do you know any of the hot young stars: Leo, Matt, Ben...?

I've met Leo a couple of times, because of Tobey [Maguire, who starred with her in Ice Storm].
But I don't know Matt Damon. I do know Casey Affleck pretty well,
because I did two ricci q&amovies with him.

Are most of your friends outside of Hollywood?

I have only three friends, and two of them are actors.
Everyone else are my boyfriend's friends.

Is your boyfriend in the business?

Not really. He's done some acting.

Is that helpful? When you come home,
can you leave the business outside your door?

Well, no, because it's infestive. My agents or somebody else is calling, and scripts are being delivered. My apartment looks like a production office, because of all the scripts piled up. But it's also my fault, because I've been working for a year, and I'm afraid to let go of it. It's not a problem, though, because I actually do movies.

You've been working nonstop. Have you been getting recognized more?

Yeah. Last night was our premiere [for Fear and Loathing]. It was a little weird. I'd never been to a party where I couldn't walk to the bar and back to my table without it taking half an hour. I'm not really comfortable with that.

I have a really hard time being approached by people I don't know, unless they say, "Oh, you were really good" or "Good to meet you." When they start chatting with me and I don't know them--I would never walk up to someone I didn't know and just start talking.

What kinds of things do they say?

They ask about my acting technique and stuff. I'm like, "You're way too drunk to be absorbing this information right now." I guess that's what they do. It's just weird.

People probably just feel overly familiar with you because you're in the movies.
I guess so. But I've been going to parties where I see people I know, and I don't go up and talk to them unless they come over and talk to me. It's just very weird to me. I would never do that.

What do you do?

I watch a lot of cable TV. I love cable. It's amazing. I finally got cable in my apartment--it was so exciting. But I don't just watch TV. I like to read. I like to write a lot, and I've got my own apartment and I'm working on that.

Do you have any specific career goals?

No. I just want to do movies I like, movies I'd want to go see and characters I find interesting. I got into Columbia University, but I deferred for a year. I don't know if I'm going to go.

Starchives - Christina Ricci - Interview - E Online 1997
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