Christina Ricci Said It’s Often “Too Expensive” To Bring Her Kids When She’s Shooting Away From Home Because Shows Expect You To “Pay For Everything”

“If you're a series regular, you have to pay for everything … I can’t pay for four people, four flights, you know, and the rooms that you would need.”

By
Ellen Durney
by Ellen Durney

BuzzFeed Staff

Christina Ricci just got candid about motherhood and money troubles.

Christina with a bob haircut and wearing a strapless gown and a chunky gold necklace at a media event
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As you may know, Christina shares 2-year-old Cleopatra with her husband, Mark Hampton, and she also has a 9-year-old son, Freddie, with her ex James Heerdegen.

Christina in a sleeveless lace dress, holding a clutch, and Mark in a black tuxedo at a media event
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Christina's career has been flourishing in recent years with hit shows like Wednesday and Yellowjackets. However, she’s revealed in a new interview that her busy schedule made it difficult to bond with her daughter — who was only 2 months old when Christina returned to work.

Close-up of Christina with a bob haircut and large earrings, wearing a high-neck textured outfit
Leon Bennett / FilmMagic

“Last year, I was commuting back and forth to Vancouver for Yellowjackets,” she said on this week’s episode of the Let's Be Clear With Shannen Doherty podcast, acknowledging that the lack of time she had with Cleo meant they couldn’t connect.

Close-up of Christina with a plunging neckline dress and a prominent green necklace
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“She didn't know me, you know? We had no bond. So that was very upsetting,” she said.

Christina explained during the interview that her kids “do not like it” when she’s away on work trips. Still, she said that taking both of them with her isn’t always financially viable when she's working on shows where she’s expected to fund her own travel.

Christina on the red carpet in a sleeveless V-neck sequined dress, clutch in hand hair
Mike Coppola / Getty Images

“You know, with TV, if you're a series regular, you have to pay for everything,” she said. “Every time I go up and down, I can’t pay for four people, four flights, you know, and the rooms that you would need and all…it’s just too expensive to travel with everybody all the time.”

In light of the problematic circumstances, Christina said, she manages it all by trying to come home as much as possible while also attempting to incorporate her children into her schedule whenever she can.

Christina in an elegant black dress with shoulder detail at media event
Monica Schipper / Getty Images

“I think, really, the thing that I learned, especially with my son, is mixing him into my work life. Why can't he come for the weekend to a convention and see what it's like?” she said, later explaining that her son joins her more regularly, now that she’s figured out a way to make it work.

Christina has talked candidly in the past about facing financial difficulties, notably revealing back in 2022 that she sold some of her Chanel bags to help fund her divorce from James. And now, in her recent interview, she recalled feeling lost during periods in her adult life when she was “really, really broke.”

Christina in a blazer over a floral garment, seated on a talk show set, smiling slightly
NBC / Weiss Eubanks / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

“You just have that thing of, I don't ever want to feel this way again,” she said. “It's a visceral feeling. I don't ever want to feel this helpless, because I think that's what not having a lot of money makes you feel like. It makes you feel very helpless.”

Fortunately, the Wednesday star said she’s in a better place today but acknowledged that it’s still super difficult to hold it together when you’re trying to support a career and a family simultaneously.

Christina at an event wearing a sparkling sleeveless dress and dangling earrings
Michael Tran / AFP via Getty Images

“There's a ton of that pressure and it's hard, because you have to work to support your family, but at the same time, you working takes away time from your family,” she said. “So yeah, it's difficult, but I'm in a really good place now. Again, I have a really supportive husband.”

You can listen to her full interview with Shannen Doherty here.

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