Christina Ricci names her six favourite movies of all time
Beginning her career as a child star, Christina Ricci has continued her success into adulthood, most recently starring in Yellowjackets and Wednesday. However, the actor is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family.
She was just ten years old when she secured the role of the gothic icon, launching her into teen stardom in the coming years. By the end of the 1990s, Ricci had transitioned into adult roles, starring in independent movies such as Vincent Gallo’s Buffalo ’66 and John Waters’ Pecker.
While Ricci has spent most of her career starring in independent productions, she has also featured in some big-budget movies like The Matrix Resurrections and Casper. But what are some of Ricci’s favourite films that have inspired her love for the medium?
Talking to Rotten Tomatoes, Ricci selected six of her favourite movies, beginning with Bob Fosse’s 1983 drama Star 80, based on Teresa Carpenter’s essay ‘Death of a Playmate’. She explained, “There’s something about the way he made that movie; it sort of lulls you into this comfortable state, and then all of a sudden it’s absolutely horrifying. It’s also kind of funny and ironic at times and winky.”
Ricci then picked out something completely different, Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys, stating, “I love sci-fi, and I think Terry Gilliam is just a genius. That movie is just so fantastic. The whole tie-in with the Hitchcock movie. It’s just so smart; it’s such a smart science fiction film.” The actor had the joy of working with the director on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which she explained was “so exciting” but made her “beyond nervous.”
She’s also a fan of Neil Jordan’s Mona Lisa, released in 1986 and starring Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine. “It’s really, really, really good. It was very, stylistically and in the production design, it’s very ’80s, very late’ 70s-’80s looking.” Ricci continued, “It’s such an incredibly well-made film, and it’s so interesting, a really dark, twisted, well-acted story.”
The actor has a soft spot for a childhood classic, Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride. “I mean, I saw it when I was a kid, and I remember I just watched it over and over and over again. It’s one of those movies that, no matter how old I’ve gotten, it still makes me feel the same way when I watch it: safe and warm, and everything’s funny — it’s brilliant, like really smart humour.”
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 horror Bram Stoker’s Dracula can also be found amongst Ricci’s favourites. She said, “I love the way it was made, how operatic it is. The production design — the production value — on that movie is so amazing. It’s just such a gorgeous, sumptuous movie to watch.”
Finally, Ricci selected Raising Arizona by Joel Coen. The actor revealed, “That movie, I became obsessed with because I worked with Barry Sonnenfeld, and somebody was like, ‘You should see Raising Arizona. It’s some of the best cinematography.’ So I saw that when I was really young and fell in love with that movie. I really loved [Sonnenfeld’s] style; in his movies, the camera has such a point of view and it’s such a commentary on what’s happening.”
Discover the list of Ricci’s favourite movies below.
Christina Ricci’s favourite movies:
- Star 80 (Bob Fosse, 1983)
- 12 Monkeys (Terry Gilliam, 1995)
- Mona Lisa (Neil Jordan, 1986)
- The Princess Bride (Rob Reiner, 1987)
- Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)
- Raising Arizona (Joel Coen, 1987)
