Yellowjackets Star Christina Ricci Explains Why She Hates Her Casper Movie Performance

Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci isn’t particularly fond of her performance in the beloved 1995 film Casper and now, she’s opening up as to why. In an appearance on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast (via Screen Rant), Ricci explained that while she thinks the film itself is wonderful, she finds her own performance to be “terrible”, something that she attributes — in part — to not trying as hard as maybe she could have.

“If you actually watch Casper, I’m terrible in it,” Ricci said. “People get so upset when I say that. Because I’m like, ‘No, it’s a wonderful movie.’ Because it’s a childhood treasure to people. But I am terrible in it. I was 13. There was a lot going on in my life. Everything was very difficult. I was just always annoyed, and I just don’t think I tried very hard, to tell you the truth. Embarrassingly, I have to say, I don’t think I tried as hard as maybe I should have. Not a lot of commitment. It took me a long time to parent myself into becoming a functional adult.”

Released in 1995, the film brought to life the classic Harvey Comics character, Casper with Ricci playing Kat Harvey, who moves into a haunted mansion with her father, played by Bill Pullman who just so happens to be a ghost therapist. The house is the home of the Ghostly Trio and their nephew, Casper the friendly ghost (voiced by Malachi Pearson, human form portrayed by Devon Sawa). The film was a major success and Ricci herself came to the film after her performance as Wednesday Addams in 1991’s The Addams Family and its sequel, 1993’s Addams Family Values.

And it’s the role as Wednesday Addams that Ricci is revisiting — in a sense — with a role in the upcoming Netflix series Wednesday. That series will star Jenna Ortega as the titular Wednesday, but Ricci has a role in the Tim Burton-executive produced series as well.

“I was really flattered to be asked and to be asked by Tim,” Ricci revealed to Variety, mentioning no other details about her role in the series. “It’s nice to be a part of this next iteration of that character. It’s fun to watch and it’s fun to see other people’s takes on things and what they put of themselves into something like that.”

Netflix previously described Wednesday as a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ (Ortega) years as a student at Nevermore Academy. That’s where she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore. 

Wednesday will arrive on Netflix this fall.