Christina Ricci on getting into character, dressing for herself and the gothic revival
We are in the midst of a Christina Riccisance. On the small screen, she’s been winning award season nods for her role as the psychopathic plane crash survivor Misty Quigly in Yellowjackets, as well as serious snaps for her scene-stealing part in the Netflix cult hit, Wednesday. Then there was her cameo in Doja Cat’s music video for her single ‘Monster’, released a year ago. And now, she’s starring in her first fashion campaign in almost 20 years for the Danish cool-girl brand, Ganni, as it prepares to make its Paris Fashion Week debut next month.
Shot by the Ukrainian-born, New York-based twin photographers Zhenya and Tanya Posternak, the autumn/winter 2025 “Who’s That Girl?” campaign sees Ricci taking on three roles, each of which highlights the multifaceted nature of the Ganni girl. The first, The Protagonist, casts her as an empowered woman who balances her career and personal life with confidence, ‘90s-style giant mobile phone – and Bou Bag bag – in hand. For The Free-Spirit, she’s more serene, spontaneous and unconventional, in a chunky Scandi knit and over-the-knee boots. Finally, as The Unconventionalist, she’s cool and elegant, offbeat and inspiring in a black sequinned dress. So, did any of them particularly chime with her?
“It was fun to play around and do the different characters on the shoot,” Ricci tells me. “They take it out of being all about you. I liked The Free-Spirit, who was soft and dreamy with her hair pulled back wearing the knit sweater, that’s sort of more who I am and who I’m comfortable being. That was my favourite look, too – I’m a big proponent for cosiness and comfort at this time in my life. And I don’t love wearing trousers, and I didn’t for that character, so that was great.”
Alongside the photographs, there are also videos, with Ricci seen acting out her parts in various tongue-in-cheek vignettes guaranteed to make the viewer smile. “I don’t think I’m funny at all, so it always surprises me when people do,” laughs Ricci. “I tend to identify as a party pooper! But I especially loved that I got to scream at a certain point in one of the videos. I like doing things that are a little shocking-funny, rather than cutesy-funny.”
While you might think that the chance to play three different characters on set was just another day at work for Ricci, the truth is, she goes full method when she is acting. “Every actor is different but I tend to be a very fully committed actor,” she shares. “For me, acting is like I’m in a mental space and I don’t get out of it all day long – you suffer the same that your character suffers, it’s a whole crazy thing.”
As for her own personal style, Ricci is a big fan of having a go-to uniform. “My husband always laughs at me because if I like something I’ll just buy like seven of them so I can wear it every day for a week,” she explains. “For example, I’ve been wearing the same shoes – platform checkerboard Vans – for seven years now. I just can’t look at myself with other shoes on unless I’m dressed up! I pretty much every day am in a ribbed black tank top and some wide-ish leg pants. I’m also a big cardigan fan. That’s my whole vibe. I love that the new generation has made it acceptable for us to not wear bras anymore, and that I can wear my sweatpants out of the house. It’s a great time to be a woman in her mid-forties!”
And whose style does she look to for inspiration when she has to get dressed up for a red carpet? “I’ve always loved Nicole Kidman’s style and right now I’m loving the way that Angelina Jolie is dressing herself, she’s just a goddess,” Ricci says. “For me, dressing for the red carpet is about putting a bit of armour on in a way – something that’s chic and fun, but that’s also serious and professional. I’m a small woman so I like my clothes to say ‘please don’t touch me and keep a six-foot distance’.”
With the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Taste’ mini-slasher music video and the long-awaited second season of Wednesday upon us, the gothic revival is well and truly here. How does one of the original poster girls of the movement feel about it?
“I think it’s really great,” she laughs. “The goths were always thought of as the weirdos so now to see it as mainstream is so funny. My son is 10 and he’s really into it, he wants to dye his hair black and wants to wear black, it’s hilarious. There’s definitely a huge influence from the Wednesday TV show on these young people.”
The autumn/winter collection is available to buy from Ganni stores worldwide and Ganni.com from 9 October.
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