The Biggest Critic Of Christina Ricci In Casper Is Christina Ricci Herself, Apparently
If you were a child of the '90s, there's a high probability that you spent days watching "Casper" on VHS. Every decade comes packaged with those childhood favorites you continue to swear by, and this is undoubtedly one many '90s kids share. The 1995 live-action adaptation of the Famous Studios' character Casper the Friendly Ghost features a stacked cast consisting of Bill Pullman, Devon Sawa, Brad Garrett, and Eric Idle, in addition to a slew of wild cameos.
The performance, however, that many children gravitated towards was Christina Ricci ("Addams Family Values") as Kat, a teenage girl who inadvertently moves into a haunted house with her father after the passing of her mother. It's been nearly two decades since I saw "Casper" as a child, but I distinctly remember Kat at the center of the film. Ricci remembers her performance in the film too, but not, apparently, with much fondness.
During a recent appearance on Marc Maron's podcast, "WTF," Ricci expressed that while she holds no ill will toward the film itself, she thinks her performance in "Casper" was less than extraordinary. "If you actually watch 'Casper,' I'm terrible," she said. "People get so upset when I say that. And I'm like, 'No, it's a wonderful movie ... It's a childhood treasure. But I am terrible in it.'"
I just don't think I tried very hard
Whether you still see "Casper" through a nostalgic lens or can no longer ignore its unsettling implications, I imagine this is hard for any '90s kid to hear. Ricci adds that it was just one of those periods in her life where there was a lot going on, and it all showed in the finished film. "Everything was very difficult," she told Marc Maron. "I was always annoyed, and I just don't think I tried very hard, to tell you the truth. Embarrassingly, I don't think I tried as hard as maybe I should have."
While a lot of you may disagree with her, it's easy to see where Ricci is coming from. Whether you're an actor or a writer, like myself, reflecting on your past work can be an embarrassing experience even as it's a rewarding one. Even a filmmaker like Robert Eggers has trouble rewatching his critically acclaimed horror film "The Witch" in its present form knowing now what he could have done to make it perfect.
Being detached from a project allows you to see all of the ways in which you could have tweaked your work to make it better, and that can tear you apart. But it isn't inherently a bad thing. Reflection allows you to see where you think you went wrong, but it can also show you how far you've come as an artist. I shudder at my early work, but it feels so gratifying to know it brought me to this moment. As for Ricci, the actress is a core member of the cast of "Yellowjackets," one of the most talked about shows on television last year.