Christina Ricci is enjoying something of a professional and personal renaissance these days. She’s booked and busy, with roles on Yellowjackets, Netflix’s Wednesday Adams show, and a series about Zelda Fitzgerald. She survived her marriage to and divorce from her abusive first husband. She remarried and she had another child. Ricci talked about all of this and more with the Times of London and she comes across really well in this piece. Mature, interesting, still a little bit of a nihilistic goth kid. Some highlights:
She loves the Wednesday Adams character: “The thing that’s most important about Wednesday, and why I think it is important for every generation to have a version of her, is that this is a girl who does not feel the pressures of our pop culture, of our society. She is a person who respects herself, who values herself for exactly who she is. She never conforms, never folds, but is always dignified and fair.”
The conversations about her body in the ‘90s: “I didn’t enjoy that. I never wore clothes to garner sexual attention, because I have always felt that kind of attention in a very threatening way.”
She really was nihilistic in her teens & 20s: “I just felt no passion, no care. I made a lot of important decisions completely dispassionately, which ended up being a problem later — so, note to anyone, don’t make important life decisions when you are going through periods of nihilism. But really it was a reaction. It was exhausting to be so upset and in pain all the time.”
Welcoming her son Freddie in her 30s: “My son’s birth really broke my nihilism and it was a pretty surprising change. I thought I would really love him and feel a lot of emotions towards him. I didn’t realise that it is all or nothing.”
Being in an abusive marriage: “I think with those things . . . Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but it took me a long time to admit to myself what was going on, what it should be called. Denial is very strong. Of course you don’t want to accept that the worst possible thing is happening and that you put yourself in that situation. So it took me a really long time to realise that.”
She loves fashion & jewelry but she’s sold a lot of stuff: “I burnt a lot of money on bags and shoes and jewellery when I was younger. You know, coming from no money and suddenly having money . . . So that was a mistake. I’ve learnt to be a little bit more intelligent about my investments. I don’t buy a ton of fashion. There are certain things that I have collected, certain bags. I had quite a Chanel-handbag collection for a while, but I sold a lot of things…. certain traumas in life go along with financial traumas, extended court situations, custody situations, fighting restraining orders. Having said that, I’m absolutely doing fine, there’s no issue. But I learnt to use these investment pieces in different ways. I also had a Chanel Fine Jewellery collection that I put to good use.”
She doesn’t want her abusive first marriage to define her: “I think it is important to say that I don’t feel like a victim in any way. I don’t feel sorry for myself. I don’t even feel like saying, ‘Well, it’s been a really hard road for me.’ Everybody has their personal issues and this has been mine, and it has been about finding my own self-worth and position and strength and power. I tell my story only because I know that, having been in situations like the one I was in, I searched for success stories, stories of people who could get out, could get over it and just be OK. And so the fact that now I am in this place where I am so much better than OK, that is my impetus for being honest about it. Today I am not ready to talk about it in more depth, but I do think it is important that we have examples for other women — that, as scary as it is, changing your life and saving yourself is the only choice.”
She drops some breadcrumbs within the interview which led me to believe that no one ever role-modeled healthy relationships in her childhood. As in, her parents’ marriage was abusive and they emotionally abused her as well. It seems like she’s taken some time to unlearn toxic patterns and understand what has happened to her throughout her life. The fact that she sold her handbags and Chanel jewelry to escape her abusive marriage too… I feel so bad for her, but it’s amazing that she had that safety net in the possessions she collected over the years. She stresses that she’s doing fine now financially. Maybe she’ll start collecting purses and jewelry again.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 16: American actress Christina Ricci wearing Rodarte and husband/hair stylist Mark Hampton arrive at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ Season 1 held at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43 at Hollywood Legion Theater on November 16, 2022 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 738228099, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Christina Ricci, Mark Hampton, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 16: American actress Christina Ricci wearing Rodarte arrives at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ Season 1 held at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43 at Hollywood Legion Theater on November 16, 2022 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 738228180, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Christina Ricci, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 16: American actress Christina Ricci wearing Rodarte arrives at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ Season 1 held at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43 at Hollywood Legion Theater on November 16, 2022 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 738228453, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Christina Ricci, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – NOVEMBER 16: American actress Jenna Ortega wearing Versace and American actress Christina Ricci wearing Rodarte arrive at the World Premiere Of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ Season 1 held at the Hollywood American Legion Post 43 at Hollywood Legion Theater on November 16, 2022 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 738230091, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jenna Ortega, Christina Ricci, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
I feel for her. When I left my relationship, we weren’t married so it was easier to separate but I still lost thousands and my ex retains a lucrative property with all the furniture and furnishings I paid for inside. It’s not fair that the ones leaving the situation take the financial burden, but I really respect her optimistic outlook on moving forwards. She looks glowing in those photos too! Wednesday Adams was one of my fave characters as a kid
Same here, when I fled my abusive marriage I only had what I was wearing, he got everything. This is not spoken about often enough, the price it costs
I always say he got custody of the money and I got the self-respect.
Amy T, that’s amazing
I just googled her net worth it showsas being $20 million. Why would did she have to sell her stuff? I get it. She had to pay her husband his half to divorce him. That’s the law and it works both ways. I love Christina Ricci. I think she has come a long way and I can see in her face that she her life has been less than perfect but she has learned from her mistakes.
Networth is always up for debate.
Also it’s about what you have that is liquid without forcing a sale.
A tactic in divorce is for the other side to get you to sell something, especially if they want to hurt you as essentially you lose and asset and have to pay the associated fees.
I am guessing the handbags and jewelry always have a market (especially certain pieces) and can be sold relatively quickly.
Net worth does not equal money in the bank…
In general celebrity net worth is over reported by 100% sometimes more so when you see that number you have to cut it in half at least. So if she’s worth let’s say 10, million and 5 million of it is tied up in a house and then varies investments that are not your cash and she has to pay out for her divorce. Then she might need some money for the legal fees as well as for buying him out of the house, and or paying alimony
Those sites are a total joke. They are there because people Google “net worth” and that’s not a thing with official numbers, so they make shit up to become a click farm. When they first started and someone was trying at all, they just took people’s estimated salary for every job and added it up. Imagine if your “net worth” was every dollar you ever earned, nothing deducted for taxes or living expenses. And celebrities are paying for agents, managers, PAs, public relations… The list goes on.
Glad Ricci has found a better place.
Also, during a divorce, while things are being contested, you can have a real cash flow problem. Selling personal items can get you money fast without necessarily triggering a new fight with your ex.
I think those sites tend to estimate based on earnings, but don’t take into account all the fees and costs that go with it – agents, managers, assistants, travel, etc. And it sounds like she wasn’t much of a saver, more of a spender, back in her 20s, which can really be a problem if the super lucrative roles slow down.
If she didn’t have a lot of cash flow for a divorce, selling some stuff off was a good way to do that, plus it sounds like she wasn’t that attached to the collection.
A friend is going through an ugly divorce now, their ex keeps dragging it out and costing them more and more money, and is NOT paying a fair share for the kids. It’s so unfair.
In my experience, I’ve seen what actresses are paid for films, and it can be shockingly low. Like the public thinks it’s $2M, but it’s really $300k, and then there’s taxes and fees (lawyers, agent, manager, biz mgr, publicist, etc). Many times actors don’t want to put aside appropriate amount for taxes.
She might have earned millions, but she’s probably also spent millions on her career and life expense.
@lola86lf, there are also numerous sites that list her net worth at $8 million. Unless, these sites have some access to her personal financial statements, they don’t know. Christina is not a public company. Guesstimation at best. It could very well be like the English aristos(and others), asset rich, cash poor-like others have mentioned. If she said she had to sell things to pay for her divorce-I believe her.
I like Christina (don’t know her) and am happy to hear that she’s in a good place.
Mermaids, Now and Then and 200 Cigarettes are favorites. She was a fantastic Wednesday Adams.
I looked up myself and my husband and apparently our combined net worth is in the millions.
I laughed so hard reading that. 🤣
I adore her. I’ve been a fan since Mermaids. It seemed like there was a period when she struggled to transition from child star to adult actor. But maybe the period when she wasn’t getting good roles overlapped with her abusive marriage.
I thought her transition was good- if a bit jarring. She was playing a teen in The Opposite of Sex, but a very adult teen.
Of course I’m currently obsessed with Yellowjackets. And how they make both Ricci and the young actress playing teen Misty so much less attractive than they are. Obviously not the point of the story/ but it’s crazy/ as is Misty. Wow. Such a great cast all around.
She was pretty adult in the Ice Storm too. Somewhat disturbingly so. It seemed like she grew up very abruptly. But I was thinking more of the Pan Am era. She just wasn’t getting great roles around then. Not that she wasn’t capable of solid acting. So glad to see her working this much now.
My daughter is enjoying the Netflix series, but for me Christina Ricci is THE Wednesday Addams.
While I’m glad she made it out of her abusive relationship, I think it really sucks that she needed to essentially literally pay to do it. It’s totally fcuked that it costs so much money to leave someone who potentially could kill you.
I like her and really like this interview. I like stay she says about not feeling like a victim. It resonates with me.
Sidenote: I thought that guy in the last pic was Joe Alwyn after having lost weight for a role or something lol
I’m such a huge believer in “everyone has their challenges and this has been mine”. I find myself saying this to well-meaning people who are leaning toward pity. It’s a great way to acknowledge your own significant hardships without downplaying your privilege or other people’s struggles.
Absolutely, thank you for your comment. I was reading to find another comment like this!
She looks great and it’s good to hear she’s doing well. I really enjoy that dress on her.
What a compelling life story so far, and very inspirational.
Yesterday I watched my favorite and perfect Thanksgiving day movie, Addams Family Values. I needed the laughs. She will always be Wednesday to me. I watched the first episode of the new Netflix and Jenna Ortega seems to accurately depict the essence of a teenage Wednesday. I’m glad to hear that Christina Ricci is doing well and is still able to get good roles in Hwood as an adult actor. The fact that she has overcome so much is inspiring. I like her outlook and self awareness of both her privilege and the fact that her experience is different and she doesn’t speak for everyone.
The perfect Wednesday. In terms of surviving domestic violence, on point that we are all imperfect people, who love imperfectly then there are abusers.
In that situation, it is better to get out and be safe, no matter the cost.
She did, and in rejecting victimhood has healed.
This reminded me of Rihanna saying that she does not want to be defined by Chris Brown’s actions.
She’s well on her way to peaceful existence, she owes it to her son.
Child actresses often have it very hard and she sure did. I hope she’ll have peace and happiness 😊.
I’m divorced, no details needed. IMO, whatever it costs in money it is worth the money!
Sell anything you need to, including blood plasma, which I did.
20+ years later, I’m still standing. My daughter and I are safe, getting by, keep going.
To hell with the past, move forward and be safe.
My friend going through it now has said the same – whatever it takes it’ll be worth it.
@HeyKay: I’m glad that you and your daughter made it out safely. Big hugs to you.
So happy she is in a better place and is working more. She means so much to a lot of women, from Casper to The Addams Family to Now and Then, she is IT.
Many women put their money in items they can then sell/transport easily if the need arises. My own great grandmothers were responsible of moving their families $$$ from one continent to another.
I am so glad for her. I am enjoying Wednesday on Netflix and I was so pleased to see Christina in this role. Of course for me she will always be theee Wednesday , but Jenna Ortega is great. Like so many other women I decided I was going to be free whatever the cost.
Unpopular opinion (maybe) – those tiny silly Birkin bags make women look like idiots. So if they hang into their value or increase because of silly women who need them then good for those who profit I guess.
Birkin bags come in a variety of sizes, from 25 to 40 cm. (roughly 8 inches to 16). I think you’re conflating Birkin with Chanel, they have some ridiculously tiny bags.
Nope it’s not just the tiny- ness that’s stupid to me it’s the whole inflated prices of the damn silly things. A purse over even a couple of grand is a rip off. Sometimes women are just fools and as a woman I’ll admit it.
😎 💕 🔥 go Christina!!! 🖖 😎
Just gotta say two things:
1. Another Zelda Fitzgerald series or a return to the same one? I see how you slid that in but there’s nothing on Google about this.
2. I’m so glad she got out. No designer bag is worth your life.