There’s a whole generation that grew up with Christina Ricci and the cult films she starred in. From her childhood debut in My Mother’s a Mermaid , both The Addams Family films and Casper , through to her teenage years in Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain and Best Friends Forever , to her precocious adulthood, she has always been known for playing characters of all kinds. At the tender age of seventeen, she starred in the eye-catching films Buffalo ’66 , The Opposite of Sex and Pecker .

After a few years away from the industry, she found popularity again through the psychological drama Yellowjackets, now in its third season and available to stream on Paramount+. In 1996, a team of high school girls’ soccer players travels to a national tournament. The plane crashes, and they must survive for 19 months in the depths of the wilderness. The plot spans two timelines: the girls in the forest and the lives of the survivors 25 years after the crash.

The other return expected for the end of 2025 is the second season of Merlina , the Netflix series that revolves around the character she first played at age eleven. The role of the goth girl that defined Ricci’s now-teenage career fell to Jenna Ortega, while she became the eccentric teacher Marilyn Tornhill. Moreover, it involved once again working under the direction of Tim Burton, who had directed her in The Legend of the Headless Horseman more than twenty years ago.

She has had compelling and playful roles in independent films such as Monster, Black Snake Moan and Life and Everything in Between . Television offered her interesting projects such as the series Pan Am , or her dual portrayal of Lizzie Borden first for a made-for-TV movie and the following year for the series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles , or her wonderful portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald in Z: The Beginning of Everything. In addition to being an actress, Ricci is a producer.

In an age where social media is used for self-exposure, she only shares what she believes can help others, for example, the violence she suffered at the hands of her first husband, James Heerdegen, the father of her first child. In 2021, she married Mark Hampton, and they have a daughter.

Growing up in the ’90s and facing the spotlight wasn’t easy for many actors of her generation. As she recounted in the documentary Child Star, directed by Demi Lovato and Nicola Marsh, her work served as a refuge: her relationship with her family, especially her father, was very difficult. Now, at 45, she’s enjoying a great time: she just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has a large following of loyal fans who eagerly await each season of the series.

L’OFFICIEL: Do you think the independent productions you worked on allowed you to develop a wider variety of dark and disturbed characters or, on the contrary, that they pigeonholed you into these unconventional roles?

CHRISTINA RICCI: I really owe a lot of my career to independent film. When I was a child actress, it was assumed you had to stop working at 13. Film, television, and commercials preferred to cast 18-year-olds in teen roles, as they could work longer hours and weren’t restricted by child labor laws. They also didn’t have to hire teachers or provide accommodations for parents if they were on location. But by the time I reached the age where I could play teen roles, independent film was gaining momentum, and directors wanted real teenagers to fill those roles. So I had the opportunity to play really interesting characters in adult art-house films.

L’O: Why do you think you’ve worked more for television or streaming platforms than for film in recent years?

CR : Television and streaming platforms are making a lot more productions than what’s being made for film. I mean, good movies, ones I’d like to act in.

L’O: Did motherhood change your way of working or choosing roles in any way?

CR: Yes, absolutely. Before, I lived for my work; I loved being on set. All I cared about was working and clearing my mind of anything else. But when you have children, you can’t do that anymore, because they’re beings who love you, adore you, and depend on you. My work ethic is to do things as efficiently as possible so they turn out right from the start. I rely on those strategies so I can give my children the time they deserve. It’s also changed the way I evaluate projects. I don’t want to do anything where I feel like children are being used for commercial gain, and I find it very difficult to do anything where there’s child abuse or children being harmed in any way. I don’t take those topics lightly.

L’O: Although Yellowjackets is quite dark and twisty, your character, Misty , brings some joy to the series because, while she does some very bad things, she’s also funny and likable. How did you create such a complex character?

CR: She’s a person who’s always been alone, but she’s optimistic. She’s not depressed. Even though she’s been rejected many times, she survives not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. And those kinds of survivors can’t depend on others to find fun and joy, so they manage to create those emotions for themselves even in the darkest and most difficult moments.

L’O: To what do you attribute the fascination that the series aroused?

CR: I think it’s very well written, very interesting. I also think it came out at the perfect time. People live with a lot of anger and trauma. And I find it gratifying to see girls and young women actively reacting, expressing that anger and trauma they haven’t been able to express.

L’O: What is your first memory of being in a studio?

CR: It’s probably something related to Mermaids, but I don’t remember the first scene we did, or the first take. I remember being on set, in Cher’s trailer, in different places around Massachusetts, and it was great.

L’O: As a woman and as an actress, how are you experiencing the post-Me Too era?

CR: Since then, we’ve made some big changes. I know there are behaviors we can now recognize and shouldn’t tolerate. And there are many resources and ways to get help if such situations arise.