Black Snake Moan - Christina Ricci interview
Compiled by Jack Foley
CHRISTINA Ricci talks about her provocative new film Black Snake Moan, some of the tough scenes she had to endure, working with Samuel L Jackson and Justin Timberlake and how she sees her career progressing…
What initially drew you to this project?
For this, it was really the character of Rae. It was such an honest depiction of a woman who has suffered sexual abuse as a child and grows up to be promiscuous and have low self esteem and suffer from post traumatic stress. I thought that she was such a non sugarcoated woman and to me that meant she wasn’t judged by the writer. The more research I did about women like this, I understood her feelings and what motivated her and the more compassion I had about her. She is a survivor and she was doing amazingly well considering the circumstances.
It does seem that here we have this woman who is almost symbolic of a wild animal and she eventually gets caged and tamed…
I can’t speak to that. I can only speak to the character I was playing. I saw her as a girl in an intense amount of pain who has to take on the form of her own abuser because the abuser has left. She still feels the pain and abuse from when she was a child. When that abuser leaves, she becomes her own abuser and has to find relief from the anxiety she suffers from. That results in a desperate, frantic person who is out of control. I am an actor so I see my characters as human not animals.
Is it fun to play that very extreme behaviour?
It’s incredibly interesting. When you have someone whose behavior is so extreme, then when you look deeper then you know the emotions that caused it are more extreme. Those are the ones you take on and get lost in. I was initially intimidated to play someone so different from me that once I realized the intensity of the fear, it really informed everything that she does for me from then on. All the shocking things then started to make sense.
Was there ever any trepidation to the places you were being asked to go to?
No. I was really initially blinded by my passion for the project. There was one day before I left to go to Memphis where I said I didn’t want to do it and I felt really scared. It was like climbing to the top diving board and then getting scared to go off. But as soon as I got there and got to be in character, I felt like I had already started doing the heavy lifting with all the research, so once I got there I felt confident in what I was doing and wasn’t scared anymore. It all made sense to me.
What made you scared?
Well, I would be half naked for the next three months and doing these intense emotional scenes and crying. I will be living with her anxiety and fears and painful memories. And right before you jump, that can be foreboding and scary.
Were you body conscious?
If I was playing myself, yes. But for Rae, her body has only meant pain and harm for her so her way of dealing with how much she hates herself, is to ignore her own existence in a way. She has no reverence for herself. I had to have the attitude to never think of my body or care what it looked like. I just did that. I left my self consciousness at the door because it could not be read on camera.
At one point, your body was much more voluptuous so what have you done to get yourself in this shape for the film?
When I did Ice Storm and The Oopposite Of Sex, I was 15 and 16. Realistically women do change a lot so I just lost my baby fat. As I have gotten older, I am starting to look more like my mother. But in this film, she is someone that doesn’t take care of herself and I wanted her to look like that. I wanted her to look unhealthy.
How was it for you to work off of Justin Timberlake? He was a relative newcomer. Were you able to access the emotions you needed from him?
When you come into a part like this, you need to play it the best you can. I felt I had a very strong moral responsibility to those who have suffered from abuse in the past. I would never change how good I was because of who I was acting against. Justin was a good actor from day one. He connected in scenes and I really was able to work off what was given. He was further along then I was with his experience. It took me years before I could cry on camera. It was his second film so it didn’t feel like I was working with a novice.
What about with Samuel? You two really have to deliver the goods for this film to work…
Working with Sam is amazing. I wanted to be him for a lot of years. When Pulp Fiction came out, I just loved him and quoted all his dialogue. When I knew when I was going to be working with him, I was a little intimidated but we work together really well. We have the same style and from the beginning, he really trusted me and that was so flattering. He was such a great partner and it made the intimacy of our scenes really strong.
How was it working with the chains then?
It wasn’t that bad. If you look at the chains as a character, it really helped me. There are moments when I am wrangling the chain and the chain is causing me to be irritated. It provides insight her character when she is alone with it.
Any bruises or chaffing?
No, not really. I was careful [laughs].
What was the scene that was the most painful and difficult for you? One might think it would be the rape scene on the football field or getting beat up in the car.
I would say the scene that was the most difficult and emotional for me was the scene where I confront my mother in the grocery store. That was really painful and emotional. It’s finally the moment when all the pain in her is coming out. The emotions that were so strong that were coming out, I was almost emotionally sick from the pain and fury. That was harder and more taxing on the body than the physical ones like the fight. That was just having a fight.
Did you need to get this character out of your system while on set? Did you need to watch TV or get out of the hotel to move away from her?
I didn’t. This movie was so exhausting for me that when they dropped me off back at my place, I went right to bed. I slept for about 11 hours a night. It was great because I was in this bubble of her world and never had a moment to really think about it. I didn’t have the objectivity to be self conscious. I like challenging characters and parts. These challenging parts are better for me as an actor. These characters are more human and more flawed.
This movie really changed the way I will approach movies from now on. Because of what she represented, I was compelled to really dive in a do tons of research and lose myself. It was so gratifying as an actor. I want to be used as much as I can be used in situations like this.
Have you grown more self confident since we first met you on screen in Mermaids?
Yes. I have had the same road to travel as anyone else growing up. I am now confident enough to make movies to fully commit myself. I want to do things that are meaningful and also helpful to society. I had this flippant nature before but that was a defensive mechanism. I was insecure.
How did Craig [Brewer] help you on that road?
He’s such a great writer and director. I had never spent much time in the south and had a really good time.
Didn’t the heat bother you?
No. I was in my underwear so I was fine [laughs].
Read our review of Black Snake Moan