Christina Riccitalks about how she lost a major role to Natalie Portman. TheYellowjacketsstarstarted her career as a child star, featuring in the 1990 movie,Mermaids, and scored her big break portrayingWednesday Addams in the 1991 movieThe Addams Family. She transitioned into more adult-themed roles in200 Cigarettes,The Ice Storm,Buffalo ‘66, and many more. In the Tim Burton-directed Netflix seriesWednesday, she appeared as Marilyn Thornhill, a teacher at Nevermore Academy.
Most recently,Ricci played a sadistic healthcare worker inthe hit showYellowjackets. The show follows a group of girls who are stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash, taking place in dual timelines. Ricci’s character, Misty, is one of the survivors in the present timeline who is still haunted by what happened to them in the woods. While promoting the show’s season 3, Ricci reflects on her childhood career, where she admits to being bummed about losing a role to Portman.
Christina Ricci Lost Leon: The Professional Role To Natalie Portman
She Auditioned For Matilda
Leon: The Professionalis a 1994 crime thriller directed by Luc Besson. In the movie,Portman plays a 12-year-old Matilda,who is taken by a professional assassin named Leon (Jean Reno) after her family is murdered. Despite controversies about Matilda’s age, the movie is considered a cult classic. Before Portman was cast as Matilda, Ricci was one of the child actors who auditioned for the role.
Why Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional Sequel Was Cancelled
Luc Besson had the script for a Leon: The Professional sequel, but the story ultimately found new life as a different project. Here’s what happened.
While talking to Melanie Lynskey onFirst We Feast,Ricci revealed how she lost the role to Portman. The actor admits that she really wanted to be in the movie but recallsbeing too “healthy-looking” for the role. Check out what she said below:
Ricci:I really wanted to be in The Professional. I was too common and healthy-looking.
Our Take On Ricci Losing The Role Of Matilda In Leon: The Professional
It May Have Worked Out The Best For Her
InLeon: The Professional, Portman, who was a teenager, plays a young girl who develops a bond with the hitman and becomes infatuated with him. The actor has previously opened up aboutbeing sexualized as a childafter appearing in the movie. As a cult classic, Matilda still follows Portman to some degree, despite having played many other iconic characters in blockbusters and critically acclaimed movies.
In retrospect, Ricci may havedodged a bulletby being cast as Matilda. In addition to commenting on the twisted nature of Matilda, her comments also offer a glimpse of the chilling reality of being a child actor in the 1990s. Ricci grew up in the business, and back then, being a child actor meant harsh criticism and being cast for roles that might sexualize them. Regardless, both Ricci and Portman have grown as actors and have solidified their careers in one way or another.
