It’s clear to anyone that follows her career that Christina Ricci has chosen some odd film roles. From Wednesday in The Adams Family, to Lucy in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, to Rae in Black Snake Moan, no one can pinpoint a stereotypical role that Ricci tends to play. She is all over the map, and as an actress, it sure does make her intriguing.
One of her recent film projects, a release by Reese Witherspoon's Type A Productions, is no exception. Starring as Penelope Wilhern in Penelope, Ricci showed Hollywood that she’s capable of starring in a modern day fairytale with a surprising flair.
The film, which is Director Mark Palansky's break out debut, is about a young girl born with a pig nose as a result of a curse cast on her family. Along with producers Scott Steindorff, Jennifer Simpson, and Dylan Russell, Palansky wanted Ricci for the role of Penelope because “she brings cool to a project,” and “brought in integrity into it and grounded it.”
Ricci stated, “I loved this film from the beginning. For me, the most important message is to not allow insecurities and criticism that other people put on you to cripple you in your life.” She explains that the movie is about self-acceptance and learning to love yourself. Even though it is set in a fairytale-like setting, she thinks that the overall message applies very much to daily life. “It’s a great thing to teach your children.”
On working with James McAvoy, Ricci explains, “when you work with really good actors you have this feeling it’s sort of being like partners in crime.” She also said that McAvoy is great as a person, that they formed a sense of trust on set, and yes – he is a good kisser.
And what was it like working with Witherspoon as a producer? Ricci said that Witherspoon, who also plays Annie in the film, was hands-on and very involved. The film has been in can for almost two years (the release date was pushed off because of a switch in distribution). It was a lot of fun working with Witherspoon at this time because she had actually just won the Oscar for Walk The Line during the filming of Penelope. Ricci talked about how entertaining it was riding through the streets of London with her on a Vespa, people screaming congratulations to them everywhere they went.
Penelope is another unusual film choice for Ricci, but she nails the role brilliantly. It’s just one more example of how she continues to shock us as an actress and keep everyone on edge for the anticipation of her next role. The great thing that you have to love about the girl is that she always keeps us guessing.
Christina Morgan
UPBEAT Entertainment News Syndicate
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