Welcome to the new version of Confessions of Christina Ricci! I wanted to create a new look that celebrates the release of Penelope – so here it is! Penelope is currently in cinemas in the UK and will be released in the USA on February 29. Make sure you head on over and check it out if / when it’s playing in your area. Please feel free to leave your comments about the new layout in this post.

I wanted to mention about the fan forums – I’m currently in the process of moving them BACK to this site. We were experiencing some spam at the previous forums, so I’m hoping this move will remove that issue all together.

I hope everyone enjoys the new look and I’ll post when the forums are back up.

Today is Christina’s 28th birthday. Confessions of Christina Ricci would like to wish Christina and very great birthday filled with family, friends and other loved ones. If you want to leave a birthday message for Christina, you can do so over at our fan forums or by leaving a comment in this post.

You don’t get to talk to Christina Ricci every day. I’m not bragging here, I’m just stating a fact. I needed some way to get the ball rolling on this interviewiticle…or maybe artiview? Whatever disturbing bastardizing of the English language to mash words together you prefer just go ahead and substitute up there. Back to you not talking to Christina Ricci, star of such classic films as The Adams Family and The Adams Family Values. In last year’s Black Snake Moan she was tied up by a loud black man who had a haircut that looked as if a cowl had been partially removed. I’ve enjoyed all facets of her career so far.

Christina herself is a very gracious young lady, who genuinely enjoyed talking to the press all day long. Or maybe she was playing pretend, you can never tell with actors… they’re always acting. Which is why it’s perfectly fine to call out to one by their character name, especially if they’re coming out of a church with a woman in their arms. Somebody needs to keep me on track, otherwise you’ll never get to hear about Speed Racer.

Now that your interest is further piqued, it’s about time we get to the little discussion Cinema Blend had with Christina Ricci on a cozy afternoon. She was kind enough to share her thoughts on the upcoming fairy tale fantasy Penelope, in which Ricci plays the titular character with a porcine nose. While the film tackles the issue of beauty and preconceived notions of society, it is far closer in tone to Ever After than the brilliant Chuck Palahniuk novel Invisible Monsters. And yes, there are some comments made about Speed, but you’ll have to read the whole interview to find them. I deliver the goods; I don’t make it easier for you to digest them. I recommend prune juice if you’re having problems though.

Can you tell us about how long it took to put on the pig nose every day?

It took about an hour and a half to put the prosthetic on. Then I’d go over to regular hair and makeup to get normal beauty makeup put on over that.

Did that get a little old after awhile?

Generally the hair and makeup trailer in the morning is kind of fun. So, the only thing that got old was I had to not talk at all while the nose was being put on my face. Because you can’t move your mouth when there’s something being glued to it. Sometimes being silent for that long – I had a problem with – because I am a compulsive talker.

(more…)

We know Speed Racer will be a visual treat with plenty of action, but perhaps it will have good values too. Christina Ricci, who plays Trixie, described all the progressive women’s lib stuff she gets to play in the movie.

“Speed Racer was the most fun ever,” she said. “That’s another example of a great role model character for girls because she’s smart, she’s funny and she does all the things the boys do. She kung fu fights, she drives a car, she races and she flies a helicopter. But she has a specific outfit that she wears when she flies the helicopter, and her lipstick always matches something she’s wearing. She gets to be everything. She’s celebrated as a girl and a woman, but she’s also not treated any differently than the male characters are. So, it was so much fun, in that respect. I like being dressed up and I like doing stunts.”

That specific look also included really short hair, which Ricci resisted. After her requests for a wig were denied, she relented. “It was the Wachowskis. It’s Speed Racer. I can always ask for a wig on the second one. You feel like, if you do it once, then you’re justified in saying, ‘Okay, I did it, and I don’t want to anymore.’”

Finished footage of Speed Racer has not only produced the visual thrills one might expect. “A lot of guys were crying at the end of the 15 minute [reel] because there’s this real guy-sad thing. Also, every character in it is a very specific, funny character. Mom is always going to have her apron on, and Sparky is going to always be Chaplin-esque and funny, and Mr. Royalton will always be evil. It’s just fun. Everything about the movie makes it feel like an event movie, so that’s exciting.”

Ricci is joined in the Wachowski-rendered Speed Racer by Emile Hirsch as Speed, Matthew Fox as Racer X, John Goodman as Pops, and Susan Sarandon as Mom. Speed will race into theaters May 9, 2008.

Article from Rotten Tomatoes. Thanks to seltaeb65 from our forums for the heads up!