Christina Ricci On A Misty Emmy Nod & Teases A New Role For ‘Wednesday’ [Interview]

Like a number of her “Yellowjackets” co-stars, Christina Ricci is having another triumphant moment in an already impressive career. She just earned her second Emmy nomination for her portrayal as the adult Misty in the Showtime series and, this fall, will reunite with her “Sleepy Hollow” director Tim Burton for a new incarnation of “Wednesday.” The latter is based on the popular “Adams Family” character Wednesday Adams which was one of her breakthrough roles as a teenager. And, no, she’s not playing an adult version of Wednesday. But Misty? Ricci loves playing Misty.

READ MORE: Melanie Lynskey on her love of “Yellowjackets” and awards shows [Interview]

Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, “Yellowjackets” centers on four adult women who are still dealing with the repercussions of a plane crash that saw them stranded in the wilderness when they were teenagers. The adult Misty (Ricci) is perhaps the most devious, but Shauna (Melanie Lynskey), Sophie (Juliette Lewis), and Jasmin (Tawny Cypress), all have their issues. During an interview with The Playlist last week Ricci couldn’t hide her enthusiasm for portraying a character of Misty’s ilk.

“I loved when Misty really sort of got into gear. When she prepared her bunker and kidnapped someone and ultimately murdered her,” Ricci says. “But emotionally kind of tortured her the whole time. That’s the kind of stuff that I really enjoy and I love playing. Like for me, Misty is such an active character. She’s very proactive. So I love when she starts getting into it. And she’s like really moving, and she’s figuring things out and putting pieces together, and applying all of those amazing skills that she has honed alone in her sad little house.”

Over the course of our conversation, Ricci discussed the detailed pitch the showrunners presented her with before the pilot was shot, how important it was to coordinate her performance with Sammi Hanratty, who plays the younger Misty, and how her two kids have been her priority over the past few months.
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The Playlist: I know you’ve been nominated for an Emmy before, but what did this nomination for “Yellowjackets” mean to you?

Christina Ricci: Well, this means really a lot to me. You know, this part really was something that felt so right to me and felt like, in a way I had found a place, in a way. And also, you know, I have been, throughout this whole thing, kind of talking a lot about my path here and everything. And it has been a long, tough…not that tough but at times a tough journey. And so it’s really touching to me, and very meaningful and moving, to be validated in this way.

Did you watch the nominations or did you ask for someone to tell you once they were announced?

Well, unfortunately, well, not unfortunately, I have an eight-month-old child. And my husband and I switch on and off with the nights because she’s teething right now.

Oh, fun.

And so I had said I’m probably not going to be able to sleep at all tonight anyway, because of the nominations coming out tomorrow. And so I opted to take the baby, who then woke up every 30 minutes until about 5:30 AM. And then at that point, I went to sleep. My husband came up and got the baby at 6:00. And I was like, I’m sleeping, wake me up at 8:00. And he tried to come up and wake me up at 8:00. And I was like, “Nope.” I was like, no, no, someone will tell me. And then I woke up to insane amounts of texts and phone calls. Because I didn’t realize that if I got nominated, I would then have to hop on the phone and do press. So, I missed all the press that day but was really thrilled when I finally woke up at 9:00 AM and was nominated.

Well, it’s so richly deserved.

Thank you.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you shot the pilot back in 2019?

Yeah, I think it was either December or January. Yeah.

Was there ever a moment where you thought the show might not actually come back? That you might not ever get the chance to play Misty again?

Yeah, because it took a really long time for the show to be picked up. And we all just kept waiting and waiting and then Juliette and I kept in touch and we would check in with each other to see if either of us had heard. And it was really very exciting when we finally found out.

When you went to shoot the series itself, obviously, due to the pandemic, the writers and producers had a long time to reconsider whatever they were going to do for the show. Had anything changed with Misty’s character? Was it still the pitch you had still been given way back in 2019?

Well, I think there are two things to that. I think sometimes you can hear the pitch you want to hear about a character and miss the little things that then show up in the very first script of the season. And I think that happens for all of us. You know, they had long meetings with me where they told me [about the project]. First where they pitched the show and we had this lunch meeting and they talked about the character and all this stuff, and then, after I’d taken the part and we were shooting, we discussed it more. So it’s like, there’s so much talking that goes on. And I think as an actor with a part like this, or for me, I was so excited about so many aspects of the character that I just like, those were like the big blaring lights for me. And then we came to shoot the series and there were things that were different about the character that I realized that they did touch upon originally and I just didn’t absorb it. So, things did change in my mind a little bit, but I’m not sure how much it changed for them, which is basically what I’m trying to say.

No, that totally makes sense. And obviously, you guys are about to shoot the second season. I’m not asking for any spoilers, but have they given you a heads-up on the second season at all about where Misty’s arc is?

I have been told that I’m going to do a lot of things that will make me happy.

Oh.

And so that, to me, says that Misty’s going to have a great season.

Wait, so what was the most fun for you when you actually shot the season?

Well, I loved when Misty really sort of got into gear. When she prepared her bunker and kidnapped someone and ultimately murdered her. But emotionally kind of tortured her the whole time. That’s the kind of stuff that I really enjoy and I love playing. Like for me, Misty is such an active character. She’s very proactive. So I love when she starts getting into it. And she’s like really moving, and she’s figuring things out and putting pieces together, and applying all of those amazing skills that she has honed alone in her sad little house.

Are there things about Misty that you know of that Sammi’s performance, her version of the character will go through, that is why she is today?

We have a rough sketch. I have a rough sketch of what happened in the past and what kind of role Misty played in it, and how that has affected things today.

This might be a beyond stupid question. Does that help you with your performance? Did you feel you needed to know that?

It helps me to know what a person…I don’t know, if you take like getting stranded on an island as an exercise, and what role will each person who’s there take? Like what is this person made of? What will they do? And to hear what my person would do, or did do, tells me so much about my person. Do you know what I mean?

I know a lot of your co-stars have worked with their younger versions to try to keep the performances as consistent as possible in any way they could. Assuming your character changed so much on the island, was it important that you and Sammi sort of connected on playing the role?

Yeah, it was important because whatever I was going to be doing would be layering upon the character she’d already established. And it has to make sense, and it has to be believable that somebody would start out as young Misty, and when we find her as an adult, she’s now this old Misty version. And it is a difference. You know, there is a real change. And so it was very important to see what Sammi was sort of starting the character off with.

You’ve been part of so many either fan favorite or eventually cult classic sort of projects in your life. When did you realize that Yellowjackets had become a thing? Do you pay attention to social media? Had friends told you?

We started really hearing about it, I think like after five or six episodes had come out. And there were more press requests, and we started hearing people discuss the fan theories and all that stuff. And I think that’s when I started to become more aware.

Do you have friends or family who try to get stuff out of you about what the future holds?

I have friends for sure, yeah, I have friends for sure who ask and who are into the show. And I just don’t have very much to tell them.

Which is good.

Yeah.

You’re also part of the new Wednesday Addams series and I’m just, I apologize if I should have read this or known this, do you physically appear in the series, or are you just a voiceover?

No, I play someone real. Physical in appearance.

Can you say who it is, or is it still supposed to be a mystery?

I can’t. The only thing I can tell you is that I don’t play Wednesday.

O.K. Was it fun?

Yeah, it was super fun. And almost all my scenes were with Jenna [Ortega] and Gwendoline Christie, and they were just amazing. I loved working with them so much. And like the young cast, I mean, I’ve been so impressed recently with the younger cast on things, and all these young actors and the young cast on “Wednesday” were just incredible.

That’s awesome. I know you’re busy going back to shoot “Yellowjackets” soon. Actually, is the Emmy’s going to interfere with your guys’ shooting schedule?

It happens when we’re shooting, and they’re, I guess already making scheduling allowances so that we can go.

And I’m assuming you’re excited to go.

I am very excited to go. I’ve already picked out my dress. I’m real excited.

Have you had time to do anything else or did you just finish “Wednesday” and been waiting for the next season of “Yellowjackets”?

Well, I mean, I got back from “Wednesday” in April and ever since then, it’s just been all of this sort of Emmy stuff, and press for “Yellowjackets.” I had another movie come out that I did press for. And also, yeah, it’s summertime and I’m the mom of an eight-year-old and an eight-month-old. So we’re packing it all in here.

Yeah. I missed that one part. You are the mother of a newborn baby, that’s definitely the priority.

But also an eight-year-old child. So I have to give him the summer of his dreams. I’ve been giving him the summer of his dreams, doing an Emmy campaign, and oh, and I also recorded the new “Harley Quinn Joker” audio series for Spotify.

You’ve been busy. You are very, very busy.

You should see how messy my home is. It’s really embarrassing.

“Yellowjackets” is available on Showtime. “Wednesday” will debut on Netflix later this year.