What Christina Ricci's Son Really Thinks About Having A Celebrity Mom

To most, Christina Ricci is a Hollywood treasure. From playing Wednesday Addams in the '90s cult classic "The Addams Family" to her unhinged, citizen-sleuth character Misty Quigley in the 2021 hit series "Yellowjackets," Ricci's indelible mark on the industry is characterized by her far-reaching audiences. But the fandom couldn't quite reach beyond her home doors after having her son, Freddie. The mom-of-two didn't initially reveal to her child that she was an A-list celebrity, which, for a while, caused Freddie a lot of confusion when fans would approach her on the street.

"When [Freddie] was young, he would say to me, 'Why are people always hugging you?'" Ricci recalled on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." She had to explain to Freddie — whom she welcomed in 2014 with ex-husband James Heerdegen — that her face is nostalgic for many people, prompting them to feel "sentimental." Eventually, Ricci exposed her boy to her movies, starting with "Casper." Although the friendly ghost is a suitable cartoon for children, Ricci asserted that Freddie was too young when he first viewed the film, but not for the reason you might think.

"I was driving him to preschool one day and he was like, 'Oh, mom, I told my teachers about your childhood," she recalled. Asking him if he meant her acting career, he purportedly said, "'That you lived in your house with your dad and all those ghosts!'" Learning from her hilarious mistake, the actor said she is waiting until her younger daughter, Cleo, is a bit older for the Christina Ricci filmography viewing party.

Growing up in the spotlight, it is not surprising that Christina Ricci is opposed to shoving her kids in front of a camera. "I feel it's child abuse to make your child famous," Ricci told the New York Post. The Emmy award-winning actor's foray into the film industry was at 9 years old, when she starred in the 1990 film "Mermaids," alongside Cher and Winona Ryder. "Being famous is not good for children, it's just not. We have a million examples of why it's not good for children." However, Ricci would fully support her son, Freddie, if he decided to pursue acting as an adult. For now, she is keeping him out of Hollywood.

Ricci has another reason for not supporting her son entering the industry at a young age: she is too busy to be his manager. "Every time he's on set [of "Yellowjackets"], he asks me if he can be a child actor," she explained on the "Today" show. "And I'm like, 'Well, who is going to take you? Like, I have to work. Who's going to go with you? I can't go with you.'" We'll just have to wait and see if Freddie pops up in any film critics in the years ahead.