
Actress Christina Ricci feels pretty good about being Conan O’Brien’s friend. Christina sits down with Conan to discuss the feeling of foreboding that comes with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, striving to help her kids find their purpose, comparing notes with her younger counterpart on Yellowjackets, and more. Plus, Conan finally comes clean about his burner phone. For Conan videos, tour dates and more visit TeamCoco.com. Got a question for Conan? Call our voicemail: (669) 587-2847.
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Conan O'Brien
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Sona Movsesian
It's a lot of words.
Conan O'Brien
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I have not.
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Sona Movsesian
I love free shipping.
Conan O'Brien
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Sona Movsesian
I do love it.
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Christina Ricci
Hi, my name is Christina Ricci and I feel pretty good about being conanoprise Frame. Pretty good? Oh, my God. I don't think pretty good is a bad thing, but I've had this argument with an ex boyfriend who was like, why is qualifying good? It means it isn't that good.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Christina Ricci
And I was like, no, it's pretty good.
Conan O'Brien
I'm falling right into the old boyfriend mode. Pretty good? What's wrong with, like, amazing or really good or just good?
Christina Ricci
I feel fantastic.
Conan O'Brien
Nope, too late.
Christina Ricci
Oh, shit.
Matt Gourley
Fall is here.
Conan O'Brien
Hear the yell Back to school Ring the bell Brand new shoes Walking loose climb the fence Books and pens I can tell that we are going to be friends I can tell that we.
Sona Movsesian
Are going to be friends.
Conan O'Brien
Hey there and welcome to Conan O'Brien needs a friend. Everything is different today. Everything is different today. And not in a good way. Let me explain. Matt Gorley called In. He says he's sick. Yeah, I suspect him of just goofing around, but whatever. He didn't seem sick. I saw him yesterday. I saw him this morning.
Sona Movsesian
Do you guys hang out without me?
Conan O'Brien
I live with him. We live together.
David Hopping
I saw him on a zoom today. He looked rough.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, he did he maybe. He might. Really?
David Hopping
He was laying down.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, well, it doesn't mean he's sick. It just means he's relaxing. Anyway, Matt Gorley. Not here. So what happens is they said, okay, Matt Gourley's not here. Is it okay if David hopping sits in? And I'm like, ugh, sure. But then I said, okay, no, David, you know that you're. You filled in for Sona. You now do the day to day assistant stuff. And Sona, I don't know what you do, but somehow you get paid more than you ever were paid before. But anyway, who can understand how this company works? I don't know who's in charge. So you're sitting in, but then we're about to record and a bunch of people I don't even know come into the house. The house? The studio. And they say, the camera's down. Conan's camera's down. People were scrambling around. Because this can also be seen on the YouTube. It can be seen on the various.
David Hopping
The YouTube.
Sona Movsesian
On the YouTube.
Conan O'Brien
The YouTube. Well, on the various YouTubes. Yes.
Eduardo Perez
YouTube.
Conan O'Brien
Feel free to jump in at any time there. Sure. Talk a lot.
Eduardo Perez
YouTube and our social channels.
Conan O'Brien
Yesoco. No, no. And don't feel like I just shamed you. You're allowed to jump in whenever you want. Just make sure it's valuable. So there's video. My camera's down. My camera's usually right across from me that way. But now my camera's way over to this side and I have to twerk my whole body to see my camera and put those blue peepers into the everlasting light. Now here's the other thing that's different. Sona usually sits over on this side.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Next to me. She's always to my right. Andy Richter, all those years that I was doing the Talk show, almost 30 years, was to my right. Sona is now diagonally across from me. And so I don't like that. I don't like anything that's happening today. And I look directly across from me and you're here, David.
David Hopping
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
So everything. And I know people say, what's the diff? What's the big diff? Larry Bird. Larry Bird, when he played for the Celtics and he was on that parquet floor in the old garden. He knew where the dead spots were in the wood. He knew that court inside and out. And this is my court. I am Larry Bird. This is my parquet floor. The year is 1984, and I'm playing at an incredible elite level. And I've got a very wispy mustache on my upper lip, and I come from French Lick, and my shorts are way too short like everyone else in the NBA. I mean, you're just about to see anything jump out at any second, and that's me. And then suddenly they said to Larry Bird in 1984, eh, something's going on with the garden. We got a problem. You're not gonna play there. And also, your teammates that you rely on aren't gonna be there. Some of them are missing. Well, who's missing? Well, Robert Parish isn't gonna. Robert Parish isn't gonna be there. Kevin McHale's not gonna. Kevin McHale's not gonna be there. Who's gonna fill in? Bert Zeisterman and Josh Galabana. Oh, they're sitting in. What's that?
David Hopping
You're saying?
Conan O'Brien
Larry Bird didn't know how to play on the road?
David Hopping
It's not like the Celtics played all.
Conan O'Brien
Their games at home.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, Eduardo.
Conan O'Brien
Eduardo.
Christina Ricci
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
If you ever speak to me again, it'll be the last time you speak to me. No, I'm just saying that he's preparing himself for a home game, okay? Yes, I know that they would play on the road, but I'm sure Larry Bird familiarized himself with those courts as well. What I'm saying is they took away some of his personnel, okay? His teammates, his chums, and the people that he's used to playing with. Then they said, guess what? We're not even gonna play on a basketball court today. You're gonna be playing in the bin of balls. What? The bin of balls. They just changed Chuck E. Cheese.
Sona Movsesian
They just changed your camera.
Conan O'Brien
No, they want me to dribble a ball in the bin of balls at Chuck E. Cheese, okay? And so I'm trying to dribble the ball, and it's just bashing into these other. Huh?
Eduardo Perez
Nobody calls it. They call it a ball pit.
Conan O'Brien
It's not called a bin of balls.
Sona Movsesian
What is that?
Eduardo Perez
I've never heard the term. It's a ball pit.
Conan O'Brien
I've never been there. I've only seen it in commercial, and so I never heard it identified. I've only seen kids emerge from it looking more frightened than happy, like they survived ash rain at Pompei. But I. That's all I've seen. But no announcer ever said, and you'll enjoy the ball pit. I never heard it named. So I just said, that is a bin that's been filled with balls. So I had to make up my own name and it stuck with me. All I'm saying, if I can be allowed to finish, my sentiment is that I'm 1984 Larry Bird. I've been taken away from Boston Garden on the parquet floor. I've been stripped of Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. And I'm trying to bounce a basketball in a bin of balls at Senor Chuck E. Cheese. That's what I'm saying. I don't.
Eduardo Perez
I don't mean to keep bursting in here. And I'm sorry about this. But also, can I say I'm realizing.
Conan O'Brien
Sona, normally, I gotta look. I'm looking into my camera right now.
Eduardo Perez
Normally, Sona sits between you and I.
Conan O'Brien
Yes.
Eduardo Perez
And you, many times during the interview will look over at Sona, and I hide behind Sona in her hair. Now I've got like the eye of Sauron directly.
Conan O'Brien
There's nothing. How do you deal with this? First of all, you should be happy. Cause I would have fired you a long time ago. I know. I can see you now. I'm irritated. I hate.
Eduardo Perez
I want to crawl in your face.
Conan O'Brien
You should. And also, let's get something straight. A lot can hide behind Sona's hair. You know what I mean? There could be a Volkswagen bus back there.
Sona Movsesian
Come on.
Conan O'Brien
I'm just saying you should be proud of it. You have thick, luxuriant hair. It's all over the place. It's everywhere. And then you put these products in it.
Sona Movsesian
Yes, a lot of products.
Conan O'Brien
Various waxes and Eastern oils.
Sona Movsesian
Why are they Eastern?
Conan O'Brien
I don't know.
Christina Ricci
You know what?
Sona Movsesian
I'm the one who most moved. Everything is different for me. You don't even look at the camera when we're recording. Most of the time. Nothing's changed for you.
David Hopping
They also asked you to move and you said no.
Conan O'Brien
Yes, it's true. They did ask me to move and I refused. Which took an extra 10 minutes.
David Hopping
They had to bring in a whole, like, other ladder.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, anyway, I'm sure Larry Bird wasn't always easy to work with back in 1984. All I'm saying is the analogy holds, okay? I'm an elite A list athlete in the mid-80s and everything's been changed up on me. And yet still, I think I've put a lot of points on the board. Oh, God.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, my God.
Conan O'Brien
Pretty good, huh?
Sona Movsesian
I don't know.
Conan O'Brien
Wrap it up. Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap.
Conan O'Brien
Well, guess what? My guest today put on the old glasses. Remember when I didn't have to wear glasses? Falling apart. Here, my guest. You know what I'm going to get is a laurygnette. Should we get one of those laurgues?
Sona Movsesian
I didn't even know that was the word.
Conan O'Brien
For.
Sona Movsesian
For it.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And it's. Well, it's also called bin of balls. I want to get a laurinette, which is the thing you a society lady puts up to. Ooh, Groucho.
Sona Movsesian
You know, also, bin of balls just tells me you've never been to a birthday at Chuck E. Cheese.
Conan O'Brien
No, I never have been.
Sona Movsesian
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
And maybe I'm sad about that. And maybe all these jokes are hiding a wound.
Sona Movsesian
You know, I used to.
Conan O'Brien
We'll take you.
Sona Movsesian
I also used to hear one time a kid died in the ball pit, and I think it was suffocated. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like they got stuck underneath them. But it's not true. It's an urban legend.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, let's make sure. Let's just make sure that that's a potential legal matter. No, it never happened at Chuck E. Cheese. And nothing bad ever happened.
Sona Movsesian
We should just cut that part out. But that's what I heard. And did you hear that?
Conan O'Brien
I think you should leave it in as a cautionary tale. Yeah. About saying things about Giant.
Sona Movsesian
But the ball pits are all gone now, too.
David Hopping
Oh, that's sad.
Conan O'Brien
No more bit of balls.
Sona Movsesian
Stop saying bin of balls.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Been there, done that. Okay. My guest today. My guest today. Get me a Lauren yet. Someone write that down. My guest today has starred in such films as now and Then in the Addams Family. Now you can see her as Misty Quigley in the hit Showtime series Yellow Jackets. I'm very excited she's here today. Christina Ricci. Welcome. Christina. I'm really happy to see you because it's been quite a while since I've seen you, and I have a very nostalgic feeling about seeing you because you came on the show for the first time. I think. I think it was for Addams Family, the first Addams Family movie. Possibly. You were a kid.
Christina Ricci
Was that. But I was like 15. Right.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Well, that's. To me.
Christina Ricci
Well, I think that was for Casper.
Conan O'Brien
Was it for Casper?
Christina Ricci
I think so.
Conan O'Brien
I mean, you were a kid, and I remembered feeling. I thought you would come on for Addam's Family. I remembered Raul Julia came on For Addams Family.
Christina Ricci
Okay, well, then maybe I didn't. Come on.
Conan O'Brien
I thought you came on.
Christina Ricci
You're probably right.
Conan O'Brien
Whatever. Right now, eduardo's. I see 1999 and 2005. So I'm not sure where that. Okay, that's going to be later. That's going to be, like, in the Casper area. But see what we've done? And when I say we, this is really on you, Christina. You could have just said, sure. Adam's family.
Christina Ricci
I'm really sorry.
Conan O'Brien
You know, and then we went for some nerd to contact us and go, incorrect. But we don't even read that post. What I remember is you were very young, and you'd be. Whatever. You'd be like, 15. I'm a guy in his 30s at the time, mid-30s. And I remembered being a little bit intimidated because you were so convincing as Wednesday Addams. You were so. Your deadpan was so amazing. I was very impressed with you and still am, but you just so nailed it at such a young age. And I remember just. I don't know, just feeling a little bit like, oh, I've. She could. She could kill me with that look. Do you know what I mean? I was a little bit intimidated.
Christina Ricci
Well, no one should have been intimidated by me then. It was, you know, just a teenage rest. But do you remember that we lived in the same building in New York?
Conan O'Brien
I was gonna bring this up, too.
Christina Ricci
Yep.
Conan O'Brien
We lived in. There's this building called the Police Building, which. There was this.
Christina Ricci
No, it really is. It was Teddy Roosevelt's. Not Teddy. Yeah, the other.
Conan O'Brien
No, no, it was Theodore. When Theodore Roosevelt was Chief of. He wasn't Chief of Police.
Christina Ricci
No, he was Chief of Police.
Conan O'Brien
He was Police Commissioner. Oh, he was Police Commissioner, which I think is a different title. But anyway, basically, look at us. We keep qualifying each other. No, it was Casper and it was Police Commissioner, and it's Ricci with three C's. Ricci. You never knew that. There's this cool building downtown. And for a brief period, I thought, I wonder if I'm cool guy. And I moved into the police building.
Christina Ricci
No, it was really cool, but I wanted to live there because I had just read the Alienist and they talked about how there was the tunnel between the building and Oneills.
Conan O'Brien
Yep.
Christina Ricci
So I was really excited about that.
Conan O'Brien
Building, which probably doesn't exist.
Christina Ricci
No. I asked a lot of the janitors and stuff, and they were like, what are you talking about? I was like, you know, the tunnel, the alienist. Crick. You can just walk around the corner.
Conan O'Brien
Great. Cook. Great novel by Caleb Carr, which is all about, you know, late 19th century crime solving. And Theodore Roosevelt's in it because he's the police commissioner at the time. The police building is this famous old building that they had converted into apartments. And here are the people that I remembered. I walked down to my apartment, which is the end of the hall. Occasionally I'd see you. I'm like, wow, Christina ricci. Also Kyle MacLachlan.
Christina Ricci
Yes, Kyle lived there.
Conan O'Brien
And he lived there with his girlfriend at the time, supermodel Linda Evangelista.
Christina Ricci
Oh, my God. I rode in the elevator with them one day, and she was really the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in real life.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I've got a runner up for you. Or maybe a tie.
Christina Ricci
Really is tie.
Conan O'Brien
Which is the other person who lived there. I don't know if they both lived there or if they. One of them lived there and the other was staying there. Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber.
Christina Ricci
Oh, but also Christy Turlington lived there.
Conan O'Brien
And Christy Turlington. Okay, so you've got all these people.
Christina Ricci
Francois Nars, like, all these crazy, crazy big people. I used to be at the gym with my mother. My mother would be like, I had a wonderful talk with Christy today when I was on the treadmill.
Conan O'Brien
Insane, right? I was thinking, maybe I belong here. And I was flooded because this is Conan. I mean, I don't belong there now. There was no time when I belonged there. But I was. I don't know. I want to say I'm 34 years old, still trying to figure out how to dress. Like, I'm not in high school. And I've been doing the late night show for about four years. And I remembered one day rushing to get on the elevator, getting on the elevator. And it was. Whatever it was Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber looking. I threw on a T shirt, like a who farted T shirt, and like, some shorts and probably like Birkenstocks, and ran on the elevator after putting, like, still had acne. Ran on the elevator. And I'm like, hold the door. And I get on and it's those two glowing, just glowing. And I think they, like, kind of made out on the elevator on the way down. And I was like, I'll have a girlfriend one day. You'll see. But I remembered seeing you lurking about. Super cool.
Christina Ricci
I was not. I was a total wreck. I was in, like, garbage pail Kid style moment.
Conan O'Brien
I didn't know that. Yeah.
Christina Ricci
No. I had decided that if I was gonna be that ugly anyway, that I was gonna Dress as hideously as possible. So I wore like a lot of conflicting colors and really big pants and men's underwear and just was my whole style. Garbage Pail Kids.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I don't know why you had that self image.
Christina Ricci
That's why I was a teenager.
Conan O'Brien
But I remembered you very fondly. I think you were on the late night show seven times. I've said this occasionally about other people who were on as kids. I'm gonna call you a kid. Cause I thought of you as a kid. That. I almost have this feeling that is weird of pride like, that an uncle would have. Do you know what I mean? Like, oh, Christina's coming to do the podcast. I remember her. Hasn't she done well? It's this. This. It's weird because I've done nothing to help you.
Christina Ricci
No, but you did.
Conan O'Brien
You did.
Christina Ricci
Like having. No, but coming on your show and like having. Being able to promote myself and my work on your show and your support. Because you can say, like, no, I'm not having that asshole on my show. So, like, I've said that.
Conan O'Brien
And they booked them anyway.
Christina Ricci
Oh, well.
Conan O'Brien
And you're here today? No, but I mean, I never. You're one of those people who I have this strange feeling of. I'm proud of her, she's done well. And then I step outside myself and go, you're not related to her. You're not. You know what I mean? It's very strange. But I had a lot of nice thoughts and memories today when you were coming on. And I am very happy for you that you've done so well. You just got your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. What is that like? I mean, are you gonna tend your star? Are you gonna go by. Is it like a houseplant? I don't know how that works. I don't know.
Christina Ricci
I mean, it's been there. I haven't visited since the ceremony. I kind of thought about bringing stuff to my star, like my favorite flowers and a candle. But then I candle's like, is that weird?
Conan O'Brien
People will think, yeah, what happened to Christina Ricci?
Christina Ricci
I guess so.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, that's. That's an option.
Christina Ricci
Maybe in. I'm like, trying to mitigate my feelings of mortality in some way. Like, if we already act like I'm dead, maybe it won't be a. Such a huge. Such a huge shocker. It's like when you call yourself 40 when you're only 37 and you're just like, I know, I'm getting used to it. I wonder if maybe subconsciously that's what I'm doing. I'm not sure that's such a.
Conan O'Brien
That's such.
Sona Movsesian
So morbid.
Conan O'Brien
That's so morbid. But these are. But also, I get it. I understand what you're doing. Because I have a very dark streak. Very dark streak. And people think that I'm being morbid. And I think, no, I'm actually. It's practical. Yeah. And it's also. I find it freeing to think I've had this conversation with a bunch of my friends, that I find it very freeing to think that I don't really matter and that I'm here and that I'm not here and I'm not there yet.
Christina Ricci
Like, that's terrifying. But I do find it easier to just, like, accept. Accept that we're gonna die and then, you know, work with that.
Conan O'Brien
So this is what the Hollywood Walk of Fame means to me.
Christina Ricci
Did to me.
Conan O'Brien
Well, that's your inevitable death.
Christina Ricci
But, you know, when people bring up, like, the whole thing is about, like, legacy and permanency, and long after somebody kept. They were like, you know, you have to answer all these questions right afterwards about the star right there at the time, and they're asking you what it means to you. And I guess my answers weren't quite what they wanted, the person running the press for it. So somebody said, you know, another great thing to say is that. And I was like, oh, okay, so I am tanking this one. Apparently. I don't seem grateful enough. But another great thing to say is that I love this because I know that even decades after my death, my children's children and their children will be able to come and visit this star. And I was like, what? So, like, the best thing about this is that once, like, involves me being dead.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, exactly. That seems also. We all know apes will rule the Earth by then.
Christina Ricci
Well, the other thing I was thinking.
Conan O'Brien
We'Ve gotten rid of all human, you know, remnants of our society.
Christina Ricci
Not to be, like, glib about any of it or not take it as seriously as I'm supposed to, which I really was moved by it, and I really was appreciative. But it is still just concrete. Like, a bomb could go off and then that it's gone. It's not like nothing is.
Conan O'Brien
There's nothing. There's no such thing as permanent.
Christina Ricci
There really isn't. So I was like, oh, it is permanent. And the whole time I'm just thinking, like, yeah, unless someone has a jackhammer or they expand the freeway or this building falls on this site.
Conan O'Brien
Wait a minute. I love that. They're gonna expand the freeway and take out a huge set. They're gonna take out 900 star. There goes Clark Cable.
Christina Ricci
We are living in unprecedented times, my friend. So anything is possible at this moment.
Conan O'Brien
You're right. So do you like your location? I do.
Christina Ricci
I was actually really happy. That was the first thing I asked. I was like, where exactly is my star located? I'm at Hollywood and Vine.
Conan O'Brien
What?
Christina Ricci
I know. It's, like, a really great location. Frolic Room is across the street. Little door is, like, right around there.
Sona Movsesian
Those are bars?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. You know.
Christina Ricci
No, but the Frolic Room is historical. The frawlin McRoom. I was in Women under the Influence, or Woman under the Influence.
Conan O'Brien
Can I just say, I was offered a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And I said, that's really great. Where's it gonna be? And they said, the Channel Islands. They said, it's a weird adjunct. You have to take a boat to get there. And I said, who else is there? And they named one Muppet that never made it. His name was. His name's Snaffles.
Christina Ricci
Snaffles?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. He's made of three socks and this. He was a big bomb in 1971. I just roll with it, Sona. Just roll with it. I've been drinking.
Sona Movsesian
I love the Frolic Room. I'm sorry. I just wanted to.
Conan O'Brien
And is this a bar that you've both been to?
Christina Ricci
I think I was there one time, but I always loved seeing it and that. It's in the Jetta Rollins movie, the Cascades movie.
Eduardo Perez
I just saw LA Confidential. It's in la.
Christina Ricci
It's in la. Confidential. Somehow it's still lasting.
Conan O'Brien
You've been more than once, I'm guessing.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, I've been. It is a It. I mean, it's a historic bar in la. It's like a really cool spot, but.
Conan O'Brien
It'S also a bar. So you've been more than once in.
Sona Movsesian
The bar aspect of it, where. I've had drinks there and I've partied, and I. You know, I. I love it there.
Conan O'Brien
Sona. Two kids now, and she's reformed her ways. But, well, you. You lived quite the life.
Sona Movsesian
I mean, I enjoyed places.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Yeah.
Christina Ricci
I enjoyed a lot of places also. Sometimes I don't remember those places I enjoyed, so. I enjoyed them so much that I don't even remember leaving.
Conan O'Brien
But we're testing your blood right now to see how much you've enjoyed yourself. How much enjoyment you have. You're under arrest for too much enjoyment.
Sona Movsesian
Too much enjoyment.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, those Sweet James billboards are everywhere. You know, everywhere I drive I see.
David Hopping
I see them all over.
Conan O'Brien
They're everywhere. I've crashed into a few of them. They're hard to avoid. And then I call Sweet James.
David Hopping
Yeah, that works out.
Conan O'Brien
No, it sounds like I'm joking around and I probably am, but the work they do is pretty serious. When you're hurt in an accident, insurance companies that promise to protect you will try to deny your claim or pay you the least amount possible. We all know that Sweet James Accident Attorney is a world class law firm with over 25 years of experience taking on billion dollar insurance companies on behalf of their injured clients and winning. They've recovered over $1.5 billion for injured accident victims with a 98% winning record. That's crazy.
David Hopping
That's a high percent.
Conan O'Brien
I wish my name was Sweet James. My life would have been different.
David Hopping
That'd be a sweet Conan.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Having the right attorney by your side after you've been hurt in a car, a truck or a motorcycle accident can mean the difference between $2,000 and $2,000,000. Sweet James have some of the best attorneys in the country. They've been awarded best attorneys in America. I mean, I've never won that award.
David Hopping
Well, you're not an attorney.
Conan O'Brien
I know. That's probably the reason. Yeah. If you're hurt in an accident, call Sweet James at 809 million, 809 million. Or visit sweetjames.com well, vacation season nearly upon us this year. Treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve with Quince's high quality travel essentials at fair prices like lightweight shirts and shorts from $30 pants for any occasion, comfortable lounge sets. I like to lounge. Have you ever seen me lounge?
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, you love lounging.
Conan O'Brien
I'm a king lounger. Love to pair it with premium luggage options, durable duffel bags to carry it all. The best part, all Quint's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they partner directly with top factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman, passing the savings on to us. I love cutting out the middleman. I do too. And then I like to drive by the middleman and go, sucka. Yeah, sucker.
Sona Movsesian
Just throw an egg in their face.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. You like the quints?
Sona Movsesian
I love quints. I shop at Quint's all the time.
Conan O'Brien
You know what I like? It's lightweight and you throw it. But they also make the duffles so you can buy the stuff and then you can put it in a duffel you just bought at Quints and Then you can drive by the middleman and go, hey, middleman sucker.
Sona Movsesian
Hey sucker.
Conan O'Brien
You're not gonna give me my money. For your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from quints. Go to quints.comconan for 365 day returns. That's a whole year if you think about it. Plus free shipping on your order. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com Conan to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Conan sucker. Toilet paper has no business trying to battle the mess of a large holiday meeting. Bidets, on the other hand, shoot a precise. Why the fuck happened to me? I'm a good guy. I went to a good college. I worked hard. I wrote a thesis in college, I wrote a thesis. I've worked hard for years. I've raised a family. I've never gone to jail. I've never committed a crime. And here I am explaining how you gotta shoot water up your ass. Ridiculous insanity. What did I do? What am I some kind of. I don't understand. How'd this happen? Toilet paper has no business trying to battle the mess of a large holiday meal. Do you know what they're implying?
Christina Ricci
Ever?
Conan O'Brien
They're implying that if I eat a large holiday meal, I just am gonna. My bottom's gonna explode.
David Hopping
It's gonna be too much for any toilet paper.
Conan O'Brien
No toilet paper can handle that. No, you need a whole other device.
David Hopping
I'm crying.
Conan O'Brien
You need a bidet that shoots water. No more smearing. It says you're on the copy. No more skid marks. What happened to this?
David Hopping
A precise stream.
Conan O'Brien
A precise stream. Luxe bidet. Oh, here we go. Is the number one bestselling bidet Bread. And I thought I had sold out.
David Hopping
Can I just say, they say people will laugh when they first see it. And we sure do.
Conan O'Brien
We haven't even seen it. Three million satisfied customers across the US and over 150,000. Five star reviews on Amazon. Who uses a bidet and then says I've gotta go give an Amazon review? I checked back there seven times. Clean as a whistle.
Sona Movsesian
This is.
Conan O'Brien
I'm gonna keep going. Cause people are laughing too hard. Luxe Bidet offers a range of patented bidet models. Oh really? Including the award winning Neo plus series. What does that do? Fancy. Yeah. The bidet comes and finds you when it's time to poop. I think you should go. Really? I think you should go. That was a large burrito. Lux Bidet's Neo plus series is the next generation of bidet attachment with their before seen patented features. That's right, never before seen. This series features a 360 degree self clean mode. Easy 360 degrees self clean mode. Are people spinning around on their ass? Easy lift design, fast slide and installation plus all the same features as their best selling bidets. Oh my God. Then it says please talk about what you, why you love your luxe bidet. I don't have one but this is my favorite ad ever. This is a fantastic ad and this is going to go out as it is or it won't go out. Get the gifts. Your friends and family will never forget this holiday season. Hey grandma, wash your ass. Use code N A to get 20% off bidets@luxbidet.com that's L U X E B I-E-T.com and code N A for 20% off. They made me spell bidet. I know that I have this long distance view of it, but you just seem to have handled fame at a young age in sort of a very classy way. And that's at least how it appears to me. I've actually thought, I've thought about this a lot, which is I'm not a big drug person, meaning really not at all. But I've long held that probably the most powerful drug in the world is fame. And letting kids have access to it is very, I have very mixed feelings about it. It's such a powerful thing and it often doesn't go well. You being famous at 14, 15, 16, that's gotta have been something to navigate.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, I don't think I always had a lot of objectivity or the ability to really analyze myself at those times, those younger ages. So I never really felt famous. I still forget a lot and I was never really comfortable with it. So for me it didn't ever feel like power. It sort of felt like something I had to like navigate. Like when I lived, I used to live over in Los Feliz in the Oaks and I would drive around when I was like in my 20s and I was, you know, I'm a small person and so being a young woman, very small, and having people follow me or talk to strangers approach me and stuff felt very threatening at the time. So I did this, I played this mental game where I pretended that my dad was just this like doctor that everybody loved in town. And I was just like, oh, Dr. Ricci's daughter. And that's why everybody was being nice to me, but not that I was famous and that everybody just really Wished me well. And it worked. It worked. I became very comfortable. But then to the point where I didn't have my guard up enough, and I had to be like, well, we have to end that now.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. So the paparazzi thing, did that freak you out?
Christina Ricci
I did not enjoy that. Just because people, they'll follow you all the way home. And I lived by myself, and that felt very threatening. And I found there was a liquor store on the corner, Victor's, that's right across the street from the Gelsons, over up there. And Rick was this guy who always worked in there, and he was always smoking a cigarette. And he's the only person I would ever let call me Chris. And if anyone ever followed me, I'd pull into the liquor store and I'd go tell Rick, and Rick would come out and chase them off so I could drive home. And then one time, my sister and I lived together in our 20s, and there was actually a man that would come and sit outside the house and leave notes on my car and stuff. And sometimes we'd be, like, ready to go to dinner, but he'd be out there waiting, and we'd be like, oh, man. So we would just, like, turn off all the lights and wait until he left. No, but, like, so. So fame was, like. It was great. Like, I get into any restaurant, and I never had problems getting into clubs and all that stuff. But it also was like, there were just, like, you know, logistical and security issues that, to me, loomed larger in my mind than the actual, like, fun of being famous.
Conan O'Brien
Well, I also think this is something that I don't take into account, which is I am very. I don't ever feel threatened physically by people around because I'm six four and a guy, and I just don't even think about it. I'm very physical myself. Meaning, like, I don't. I'm not afraid to shake hands with strangers or whatever, mix it up a little bit. But I'm constantly reminded that if you're not my size and if you're a woman, especially if you're a young woman, it's a completely different feeling when people are around and it's not welcome. And it probably sets off all kinds of different alarms, whatever.
Christina Ricci
Well, I think it just depends, you know? But, yeah, I was. I felt. I did feel threatened a lot. And I still am a person who's very paranoid and safety conscious. So I still will feel threatened if a strange man walks up to me and, like, touches me or starts just, I don't know, follows me to my car. I don't like that.
Conan O'Brien
You maced me when I came in to say hello to you at the podcast, and you kept doing. And then your publicist said, it's Conan, and you said, oh, I know. And then you took out a separate bottle. Oh, no. Yeah. That said extra strength. And you really went to town. Oh, man. What the fuck was that all about? You are so good in. I mean, I'm just going through randomly, things that you've worked on, but I remembered seeing. I really liked the movie Sleepy Hollow when it came out. You did With Tim Burton, and I was thinking about that movie, and Tim Burton had this quote about you. She said that you had an ambiguous quality. He's such an amazing director, but he said he was drawn to you because different people could read in different things to your performance. And I don't. Do you agree with that? Did you think he had. He nailed something about you?
Christina Ricci
I do think there's something a little bit ambiguous about me. I mean, people. I'll compliment the person. They think I'm making fun of them. I don't know that I'm the easiest person to read. And so perhaps that's what he's talking about.
Conan O'Brien
I wonder how much of it is your. You have beautiful eyes, famously beautiful eyes, and they're quite large. You have large, beautiful eyes. And I wonder if that's a way that people can maybe make it. I don't know. You're reflecting something back at them. You're not even doing anything, but they're reading something into it, project something onto it.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, maybe. I also have. I'm also very flat in affect, and I think that people just assume. I don't know. I just think that's difficult because I don't emote that much normally.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. I think I'm probably the opposite.
Sona Movsesian
Yes.
Conan O'Brien
I'm constantly emoting.
Sona Movsesian
Constantly emoting.
Conan O'Brien
Beady little eyes.
Sona Movsesian
I wouldn't.
Christina Ricci
It's not about.
Sona Movsesian
Your eyes.
Conan O'Brien
Reflect nothing.
Sona Movsesian
Okay.
Conan O'Brien
Some say dead.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Dead Doll eyes.
Sona Movsesian
You just wear your. Everybody knows what you're thinking.
Conan O'Brien
I'm a giant mood ring.
Sona Movsesian
Yes, you're a giant mood range.
Christina Ricci
That would be very helpful, though, if we could turn different colors based on our moods. That would be so helpful.
Sona Movsesian
It's good.
Conan O'Brien
It's interesting to me that you probably knew as a very. As a kid, you clearly knew. This is something I'm interested in doing. I'm always fascinated to find out, how does Christina Ricci know? Oh, no, I can do this. I can act. I can be in. I can be in film. How do you figure that out at such a young age?
Christina Ricci
I was in second grade and they brought in, you know, sheets of lines and stuff into music class and they said, we're putting on a Christmas pageant and here's the pageant we're doing. And read these lines. And the second I saw them and started reading them and participating, I just, I remember sitting there by myself and being like, oh, I know how to do this and nobody else here does. And I just was like, oh, that's so crazy. I know exactly what he wants and this kid over here can't do it. And that one. And I just felt really, in that moment, I felt like I had found my thing. And then it just had always felt like that to me. Like I just had a shorthand into understanding what was needed to do that work as a kid.
Conan O'Brien
That's such a. I would imagine, because I do not know that it would be akin to just knowing at an early age that you're athletic.
Christina Ricci
It's what it felt like, you know what I mean? Being really good at a sport.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Or just sports in general. That you get out there and oh, I know what this is. I know what to do. And this is what's needed now. And I'm gonna do this. And I did it. And I struck that person out or I scored the winning touchdown. I did not have that. And my childhood was a series of nope, nope, nope, nope. And then figuring out, like you say, oh, I know what this is. I can make my friends laugh. And oh, it's time for us to do. We're all supposed to write something. I'm gonna write something silly. I know how to do that. And people are laughing. And so it was. I think kids figure out very quickly what their call it a superpower, what their ability is. It's an innate thing. We tend to figure it out quickly. I think it's rare that someone figures out. Figures that out at like 58, you know?
Christina Ricci
Yeah. But you do see people who are lost and just have no idea what their special thing is. That's very sad.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Christina Ricci
As a parent, I have a real fear of that happening to my kids.
Conan O'Brien
Really?
Christina Ricci
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Well, your kids are probably pretty young.
Christina Ricci
I'm guessing 10 and 3.
Conan O'Brien
So you're already like, dammit, they've accomplished nothing. Nothing.
Christina Ricci
I just mean you have to think about all the pitfalls.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Christina Ricci
And I guess also being someone who had happened for very early, I would love for them to have that because it's such a relief. And I really have seen how lucky I Was to find it so early.
Conan O'Brien
It's interesting because then there's the question of, would you want them. Would you be comfortable if they were interested in getting into the business? I know. To me, I was just like, nope, no child of mine is going to be in. Because I always thought show business. And I still think it's a racket. Like, what I'm doing is illegitimate. It's a racket. And at some point, someone's gonna come and shut this whole thing down, you know, because my parents, you know, went to graduate school and were doctors and lawyers and. Yeah, I just. I somehow got into vaudeville. Like, I got into a time machine, and I'm a guy with seltzer and baggy pants in vaudeville, and that's how it feels to me. Anyway, it doesn't feel legitimate.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, no, I agree. I go back and forth. My son has shown a lot of interest in it. I think he'd be very good at it. But there's also these. All the logistical things, like, who's gonna take him? I work full time. I can't go to set with him. And. Yeah. And also, it's risky. Who knows if he's gonna handle it that well.
Conan O'Brien
Well, yes. Imagining. It's so funny that what I've learned as a parent is I am so afraid of any of the. Even the notion of my children being disappointed or having their feelings hurt. But if it happened. But it's happened to me a billion times, and I'm fine with that. So why am I projecting onto them? Of course I can have this happen a billion times, but God forbid it should ever happen. And of course it's happened to them. But just the notion of it. You just think, no one's going to say anything to my child.
Christina Ricci
No, I know I have a very strong. Overly attached. I'm overly attached to my son, and anything he experiences emotionally, I also experience. And it's. It's not healthy, But I have the same thing. Like, I can't. I always worry about him going into a new sport because what if he. What if he feels bad about not being good at it or if anybody's mean to him or if someone makes fun of his sneakers? I'm like, well, we're going to get you the best sneakers they've ever seen.
Conan O'Brien
Who the hell did you just become? Oh, we'll get you sneakers. We will. You become the creature from Leprechaun. That's the problem.
Christina Ricci
This is me being intense. This is why I'm such a good actor.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, totally. I did. And I do. I'm a huge fan.
Christina Ricci
That's called intensity.
Conan O'Brien
It must be nice to. I mean, the success of Yellowjackets is gotta be quite satisfying because what I've noticed as I move along and I'm much farther along on my path is that as I get older, I appreciate and enjoy things more. Getting to doing this podcast or whatever, any gig that I have, I kind of appreciate has getting to do the show for Max or hosting the Oscars. It just feels like, oh, I think I would have been so anxious and neurotic about it at a younger age. But now when nice things come along, I can appreciate it more. Do you have that with like yellow jackets?
Christina Ricci
I do. I really do. And you know, I was, you know, I had like sort of my big moment in my 20s and went to all the award shows and all the stuff and then that sort of stopped and I didn't really for a while. And then this yellow jackets thing happened and then all of a sudden we were going to award shows again and all this stuff and it was so interesting. Cause this time I could just be like, oh my God, I love that guy. Hey, I'm Christina. And like, just be really open and easy and fun and like, oh, I, you know, it just, it was like you said, like I wasn't, I wasn't so self conscious and I wasn't so worried about everything. I didn't take myself as seriously as I used to. And so it's actually, it has been really, really fun.
Conan O'Brien
There's this quote, one of the Bee Gees said, second, fame is so much better. And I guess the Bee Gees stories, which I didn't even really know, there's an amazing documentary about them and I didn't really know much about them at all, but it's a fantastic documentary. And I didn't realize they were huge pop stars in the 60s. And then it soured. Like anything, the time passed and then they're trying to figure it out and they're bumming around and they're completely out of it and they're a once was. And then they reconstitute and become this 70s juggernaut phenomenon. One of the biggest groups of the 70s, if not the biggest. And they were like, oh, it's just so much more pleasant the second time around because we know what that is. And so now it can be more about, as you said, you can go to these shows and not be neurotic and freaked out and just enjoy, just enjoying.
Christina Ricci
It also feels so different now too. Like just Hollywood in General feels different.
Conan O'Brien
How does it feel different?
Christina Ricci
Everybody just seems, like, happy to be there in a way that wasn't like that in the early 2000s. Everything felt so serious then and about, like power and position and ambition and it was really serious. And now it just feels like people actually celebrate at these award shows and are, like, happy to see each other and there's enough room for everybody. Feel like it was so much smaller before that it didn't feel like there was enough room for everybody and. Yeah, it just has, like a much nicer feeling, I think, in general.
Conan O'Brien
Something too, about maybe the fact that the business has changed so much.
Christina Ricci
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
So, you know, it's crazy to think about it, but I know when I came up. When you came up, but still, we're talking about a limited number of networks. There's no streaming.
Christina Ricci
That's what I mean.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, yeah. And now if you've got a good idea, there's a good chance you can get it out there somewhere. I mean, even the natures of movies has changed where it doesn't have. It's not the giant blockbuster. And there's a plus and minus to that. That's at the award shows. But there is less of a feeling of. It's a small club that a few people are allowed into. Exactly. So many people can have a great idea, get it on YouTube, get it out there. If they've got talent and ability, they can find a streamer, they can find a way to get their vision made. And it just feels a little more user friendly now.
Christina Ricci
Yes. It's softer and gentler and less desperate.
Conan O'Brien
Unless you want to shoot in Los Angeles.
Christina Ricci
Well, then, I mean, honestly, that's getting weird. I don't actually know how anyone makes that happen.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, it's really getting. I mean, not to take things down, but that is a big change that's happened is people will shoot something that takes place in Los Angeles on Hollywood and vine and they'll go up to Nova Scotia to shoot it and recreate Hollywood and Vine and put your star in your reaches.
Christina Ricci
I'm sorry, I will not allow that. You do not have any.
Conan O'Brien
They moved an hour ago. They moved in it an hour ago.
Christina Ricci
Put my foot down without telling you either shoot in LA or that's the.
Conan O'Brien
Kind of power I've got in this time.
Christina Ricci
You're a guest star in your movie.
Conan O'Brien
What's it like? Because with Yellowjackets, you have this interesting thing where you're. There's your character Misty, you're playing as an adult, but also there's an actress who's playing you as a child or a kid? Not a. I shouldn't say child. As a teenager. Yeah, as a kid. And to me, at 85, it still seems like a child. Cause I'm doing that thing where I want to say I'm 85 now, just to get used to it.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, I've already started. I'm going as far as 87. So anytime I can't work anything, I like that. Anytime I can't work anything, I'm like, well, I'm basically 87 when it comes to technology. And the more I say it, the more I'm feeling more comfortable.
Conan O'Brien
I love that you're two years older than me.
Christina Ricci
I'm older than you.
Conan O'Brien
Is it Sammy Hanratty? Is that the actress who plays you? And it's interesting. I don't know how much do you have communication with the actress who plays younger you to try and see if anything needs to line up, or is that overthinking it?
Christina Ricci
Well, we did in the very beginning. You know, we shot the pilot, and then Covid happened. So it was about almost a year and a half later that we actually went to series. And so she and I met up to discuss. We're really, really different people, personality wise. Like, it's surprising how different we are. And so we sort of compared the different performance notes that we've been given, because it was interesting to hear what they wanted to correct or were worried about because, like, you know, she's a very bubbly, dynamic, like, charming, sweet person. And so to hear what they were concerned was gonna come out in her performance was interesting to me. And then to hear what they were afraid I was gonna do was very interesting as well. So, like, mine was all about, like, no, she's charming and everyone loves her and all she wants, and she's human. And hers were like Kathy Bates from Misery and, like, you know what I mean? So it just was really funny.
Conan O'Brien
There's a rumor that they put her on depressants. We gotta reachi you up a little bit. We're putting you on a massive dose of depressants.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, they were, like, trying to make me more adorable and her less adorable. And so by doing that, we got. We could, like, we both felt like we understood, like, where the parameters were for the character. But beyond that, we never really. I'm very sensitive about not being condescending. Like, I even have trouble complimenting people because I feel like it's condescending. And I don't. I guess I don't know why. But I just do. So anytime. The idea of, like, giving another actress performance advice or notes to me just sounds like, really, I'm overstepping my place. So we both have very. We have our own performances. And when you think about it, too, 30 years.
Conan O'Brien
30 years and a lot of intense stuff. That's right.
Christina Ricci
30 years of, like, squeezing and rejection and pressure and trauma and all this stuff, you're not gonna be the same exact person you were. So I think it really does work out. And the writing on the show is really good, and the character is very consistent on the page. So it's kind of okay for any kind of differences or variations in our performances.
Conan O'Brien
People are intense about this show. I mean, the fans are hardcore, which is a compliment, because I think we live in an era where if you put the detail and the work into the writing and performing and you really try and tell an interesting story, there's an intensity to the fandom that's actually a compliment. It's like fans. I think fandom now is very literate. If you look at shows like yours or shows like White Lotus or shows that people are really. They really get into trying to find the clues, what does this mean? What does that mean? And they treat it the way it should be treated, which is. It's an art form, which is nice. It's not just, oh, yeah, I watched another episode of show they crank out every week.
Christina Ricci
Yeah. No, they take it very seriously, and they hold us to certain standards, and they let you know when they're disappointed and they're qu.
Conan O'Brien
You know, do you go online and read stuff?
Christina Ricci
Well, I'm 87 when it comes to technology, so I don't know how to get on Reddit because you have to have a Google account. My Google account is in Romanian, and I don't know how to change it, so I can't get onto Reddit.
Conan O'Brien
We have some people here who can help you if you want, but I've.
Christina Ricci
Heard about all the things, and a lot of the other actresses on the show do read all of the stuff. Like Melanie. Melanie Lynskey. Apparently, she told me she reads everything. I can't find everything, or else I might read.
Conan O'Brien
I don't know. My experience has been, if it's dire.
Christina Ricci
Someone will tell you.
Conan O'Brien
Someone's going to tell me.
Christina Ricci
That's how I feel.
Conan O'Brien
If it's an extreme one way or the other, like, you know, Blay will come in and tell me people really loved that thing you did. And it will be a different. It'll be Jeff Ross who comes and tells me, you got a problem, we got a problem. You know what did I do? That satanic ritual you did, apparently it's very offensive.
Eduardo Perez
And no, I'll be like, fans love the satanic ritual.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll tell me that. And then Jeff will say, no, people are lawyered up.
Christina Ricci
That's how I feel.
Conan O'Brien
Jesus has lawyered up.
Christina Ricci
I feel that way too. Like people are gonna tell me. And sometimes. But it's weird now too, because, like, everything's supposed to be everywhere. But then also things are hard to find. Like, I did this series of interviews with Melanie and I made some comment about this song that's in the show that I had a lot of pent up rage about because the entire time we were shooting, everybody tried to gaslight me and tell me that it was a great song. And I was like, I know it's not, so everyone can stop lying to me. So when we finally went to do the press, I did it. And then my producing partner, I was like, oh, just do the. It's everywhere. And I was like, what are you talking about? And then it was like this clip was everywhere about. The band responded and all of this stuff. And I had absolutely no idea. And I kind of felt in that, that instance, somebody should have told me that I shouldn't. That I, you know, shouldn't be bad mouthing somebody's song. So in a weird way, I feel I trust the safety net, but then I don't trust it so much because then things. I'll see things, and I'm just like, oh, yeah, no, I should have been told about that.
Conan O'Brien
I think there's a lot more of everything. There's a million opinions and there's a million ways to whatever piss people off. The flip side of it, is it because there's so much people forget. I mean, that band won't forget. Right?
Christina Ricci
Right.
Conan O'Brien
But they shouldn't because I.
Christina Ricci
No, they have a lot of fans. I was in the, you know, everybody. Everybody else loved it. It was. You saw, clearly they're great and I'm weird, but I actually. Yeah, I don't find out too much. I just found out recently from Melanie that apparently there are people who really hate our characters. And I didn't know. I just thought everyone loved me. So I'm just gonna keep going with that.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Well, also, I think it's good as you get into your 87th or 88th year. Who was it? I think it was Jeff Daniels. He did some show. And the actor Jeff Daniels and the Press started, critics started to ask him, well, some people think this about this project, or some people think that. And he said, you know, guys, I can't help you. I can't help you. This is the work that I did. And I loved when he said that. The phrase I can't help you, meaning you do your part, which is you do your work and I do my work. And then it goes out there. And people are entitled to like it or not like it. But I don't know that I need to participate in the process of people liking or disliking it. This is what I did. And I wish I had had that attitude more when I was in my 20s and 30s. I wish I'd had a little bit more of that. Cause I was very much. I just want everybody to be happy. And I think it's an improvement to be. Well, you know, some people have that early. Like Bob Dylan had that when he was 19, you know, this is what I'm gonna do. If you don't like it, it's your problem. You know, this is how I talk and this is how I sing. It's great, you know, and you're like, how did he have that? How did someone have that? But I think as I get older, I think, eh, that's what I did. And why should you, Christina Ricci, be actively looking for someone who mistakenly doesn't like what you do?
Christina Ricci
Yeah, no, I also find that, like, I've just. I've never really been somebody who think, like, once I'm done, I sort of never revisit it. And that for movies, that's always been totally fine because you finish it, you move on with your life, then you have to watch it once and answer some questions, and then it's gone, done. Who cares? TV's a little bit different because you keep revisiting the same thing, and the pressure lasts a lot longer as well. But I've always been someone who has a lot of, like, real life emergencies, like, you know, just life. You know, there's a drama over here and a family thing there, and your house is on fire and all this stuff. And so I've never. I've always been like. I just. I don't have the time or mental capacity or energy to focus on something that I can't change.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, I think that's a healthy way to be. I pronounce you healthy.
Sona Movsesian
Thanks.
Christina Ricci
Amazing.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. And I think my opinion. Should I have. No. What he's gonna say. Sona.
Sona Movsesian
I was gonna say, if anyone can pronounce Someone healthy.
Conan O'Brien
It's you mentally healthy.
Christina Ricci
Yes.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think you're the perfect guy to do it. You're perfect for that.
Conan O'Brien
I'm trying. I'm trying to evolve. I'm doing the best I can to evolve.
Sona Movsesian
I know.
Conan O'Brien
And you've been with me a lot, Sona.
Sona Movsesian
You work on yourself.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. We've been together a long time, and you've seen me try to evolve.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have evolved.
Conan O'Brien
And physically, too Much more powerful.
Sona Movsesian
I don't know about physically.
Conan O'Brien
I think I went too far.
Sona Movsesian
You're still kind of at the same place.
Conan O'Brien
Okay. All right, let's change the tone, shall we? Change the tone a little bit. I think we should change the tone. Well, Christina, it's been a pleasure for me to get to talk to you again. Thank you. I was just. I had a very nice, warm feeling when I heard that you were gonna be coming in to talk. Cause I had all these memories from that other life.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, that's how I feel also.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. You're like, oh, there's that guy who still can't get his skin still breaking out.
Christina Ricci
Just stop it. That is not what I thought.
Sona Movsesian
Come on.
Christina Ricci
I thought, oh, I've known Conan forever. Our careers kind of started at the same time.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. I do have that feeling now more and more. If I just see someone that I went to college to with that I haven't seen since the 80s, my first overwhelming feeling is, hey, we're still here. Isn't this like, I'm. In a very basic way, we're still here, and you're thriving and you're doing great work, and I'm just very happy for you.
Christina Ricci
Thank you. Thank you so much. I was so excited to come and see you. And I do feel like we've been in each other's lives forever. Like, we said, our career started at the same time, basically.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Christina Ricci
I mean, my adult career, I had already had a child's career.
Conan O'Brien
That's right. That's right. I didn't know you then, but yeah, I'm just. I'm thrilled for you. I really am. And thanks for being here. Congratulations on Yellowjackets.
Christina Ricci
Thank you.
Conan O'Brien
And have you started? This is the. Which season is this?
Christina Ricci
We have not gotten our pickup yet for season four.
Conan O'Brien
Let me handle that.
Christina Ricci
So we're all.
Conan O'Brien
Everybody's like, I could make one phone call.
Christina Ricci
Would you?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. It won't do it. It'll literally be a phone call where they hang up on me. It'll be to a receptionist, and she will hang up on me. And then I'll call back and go, do you know who I am? And then. No, no, we know, we know. You just have really no power. And we're going to do it right, going to do with you. But congratulations and come back. Let's talk some more.
Christina Ricci
Yeah, I would love to. All right, sounds great.
Conan O'Brien
Blay. I understand you're taking a trip pretty soon. Where are you going?
Eduardo Perez
I'm going to the mountains. I'm going to Idlewild. The mayor's a dog. Did you know that?
Conan O'Brien
Okay, Mayor Max. Way too much information. Yeah, it's Mayor Max. He's a dog. Okay, well, that's nice. You're going to Idlewild. It's great.
Eduardo Perez
And you know what? I'm thinking about hosting an Airbnb while I'm gone to help offset some of the cost of the trip.
Conan O'Brien
That's smart. Hosting is a pretty cool and unique way to make some money back.
Eduardo Perez
That's right. And people can stay in my awesome apartment, which is full of great comic books. I have a lot of cool figurines. It's really. It's a great place to stay.
Conan O'Brien
Also, have you seen the movie 40 Year Old Virgin?
Eduardo Perez
No.
Conan O'Brien
Now. You should check it out sometime. Okay, sounds fun. But you know what? If you've got 20, 25 goals of, like, travel and stuff like that, this would fit very nicely into those goals, which is using Airbnb.
Eduardo Perez
That's right.
Conan O'Brien
Because it's more relaxing to take a trip when you know that you're making some cash on the other end.
Eduardo Perez
Exactly.
Conan O'Brien
And it might make you a little more, I don't know, prone to spend a little more on your trip on yourself because you know that you're being responsible. That's right. So don't leave money on the table when you travel. Your home might be worth more than you think it is. Find out how much@airbnb.com host Sona. Where else can you go surfing and skiing the same day, huh?
Sona Movsesian
I don't know.
Conan O'Brien
Or check out a world class art museum and then camp at a dark sky sanctuary that night, huh?
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Where else can you hike through redwoods and then get a luxury spa treatment?
Sona Movsesian
Where?
Conan O'Brien
Well, you live there. California. California. Sona. No matter where you go across the state, you'll find a way to play. I'm a California resident. Sona, you are a lifelong California resident.
Sona Movsesian
I'm a lifer. I love this place.
Conan O'Brien
This is a beautiful state. Gorgeous. So many different wonderful ecosystems in one state. You can hang out by a Palm Springs pool. You know, you can go whale watching. You can go hiking in Yosemite, and then talk about the great cities in California. You get all this amazing food, sushi, whatever you want. They got it in California. Hey, if you can't find it in California, man, you got a problem. Yeah, I shouldn't have done that. I made that up on my own. Anyway, I love California. Discover why California is the ultimate playground. Head to visitcalifornia.com to start planning your trip today. I want to come clean about something, which is that recently I got a burner phone. You did. And I love it. I love having a burner phone. Okay, now you've been intimately a part of the process, David. Basically, Oscars were getting close, and I was noticing that there was so much going on between the podcasts and the HBO Max series and the Oscars. Humble brag, busy Munchk, Conan. Anyway, I was getting crazy, and I said to you, I just want to have a phone so that I can call Liza, that I can call you, David. I can call Jeff. I can call Sweeney, the head writer. Like, I really want to just be able to.
David Hopping
Sona's number's in there, too, and Sona's.
Conan O'Brien
Yes, Sona, you're in there as well.
Sona Movsesian
Okay, thanks.
Conan O'Brien
Okay. I just chose not to call you. No, I did call you from the burner phone, but here's the thing. So we went and we got a plastic flip phone.
David Hopping
Yeah, I just called and ordered it. You went and picked it up all on your own?
Conan O'Brien
I went and picked it up all on my own. And the young man selling it to me recognized me and was weirded out that I wanted this phone.
David Hopping
Well, because. Okay, well, I was thinking, after picture, you're the. And I say, Conan O'Brien's coming in with an unlocked flip phone. He needs a, like, month to month number. Not connected to his. To his regular one. It sounds like he's, like, involved in something like that.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, it's shady. It is shady.
Conan O'Brien
The guy acted. The kid acted like, this is weird, and I just said, give it to me now. I need it now. And walk around and it's this cute, blue little guy, and I like him. I like him, and it's crazy. I tried to send a text on him. It's insane.
Sona Movsesian
Is it T9 texting? You have to press each button until the letter pops up.
Eduardo Perez
Yes.
Conan O'Brien
And, I mean, you end up. Everything's yes or no with my answers. You can't send an elaborate thought because it takes 40 minutes for me.
Sona Movsesian
Wait, no bits. You just send A reply with no bits.
Conan O'Brien
I can't do bits because it's too. I can't do.
David Hopping
Only text the burner.
Conan O'Brien
I can't.
Sona Movsesian
Oh, my God.
Conan O'Brien
So I start walking around with this thing, and I'll call people, and for a while, no one was picking up because this. It just. They just think I'm spam. But then I told them, look, I've got a burner phone and here's the number. And so I ended up not needing to use it as much as I thought because it turns out not that many people were contacting me. I had this whole freak out, which is like, I'm hosting the Oscars. I'll be bombarded with well wishes and advice from top celebrities. I need a burner phone so I can think my thoughts in seclusion. No, not that many people. So then I was contriving reasons to call people. Like, hey, David. And you're like, yeah, you called me.
David Hopping
From your office upstairs. You could have just yelled my name.
Conan O'Brien
I called you from up upstairs, and I was like, can you come on up here? And you're like, yeah, I can. Good. Good thing I have this burner phone. So I still have it, and I love it. I don't have a real reason to use it, but I love the idea of maintaining. First of all, it expired automatically after a month. And then I got mad. I was like, what are you doing? I want to keep this thing. I want to have this phone that only I know about. And I don't know what I'm going to do, but I know it's going to be crucial at some point soon in my life, okay? I'm gonna be in some situation where I need this burner phone or I'm on the run. I'm on the run. I'm on the road. I'm on the go. I'm trying to get off the grid. Can they trace a burner phone?
Sona Movsesian
No. The whole point is that they can't.
Conan O'Brien
Right?
Sona Movsesian
That's why it's a burner phone.
Conan O'Brien
Here's one thing. My wife, I only found out about this recently, but she tracks us on our smartphones. All of us, like me, our kids, like they're on the east coast in college. And she's like, getting lunch. I'm like, what? What the hell are you doing? She's in the dining hall. And then not that long ago, I called her to tell her I'm running late to meet her for sushi. And I call her and go, yeah, I'm just stuck in traffic. I'm Just running a little late. And she went, well, you're pretty close. And I'm like, whoa. Good thing I didn't visit the mistress today. Anyone who calls her the mistress doesn't have a mistress anyway. But now this idea is I don't like her knowing where I am all the time. I don't think I'm up to anything bad. No, but still, I like the idea of maybe I'll just. She'll be like, I'll see what Conan's up to, and she'll call the phone, and it will ring in the kitchen, and she'll be like, wait, he left the phone here. And I'm out there somewhere. My old Ford Taurus, because that can't be traced either. My 92 Ford Taurus, which I still own, and I got my burner phone, and none of you can get me. Well, David can call me, and I.
Sona Movsesian
Have your number, too. Where are you gonna go? What are you gonna do?
Conan O'Brien
I'm just gonna go off the grid.
Sona Movsesian
But what does that even mean?
Conan O'Brien
You mean, like, to hotel or to Santa Monica?
Sona Movsesian
Oh, okay. All right.
Conan O'Brien
Six miles from my home.
Sona Movsesian
But you're also very recognizable, so people will, like, see you and maybe someone who knows Liza.
Conan O'Brien
I have a baseball cap that says not Conan.
David Hopping
Okay, that should work.
Conan O'Brien
Who would be the first person to flip on you if Liza pressed them? What do you mean? Between everybody on your burner phone.
Sona Movsesian
All of us.
Conan O'Brien
They would. All. All of us. They're all. Yeah. Allied with my wife. Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Every single person. I can't think of anyone.
Conan O'Brien
There's not one person who would take my side over Liza. Everybody. Everybody. Everybody prefers.
Sona Movsesian
She'd call us, and we'd be like, Santa Monica before she even asked us the exact location.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Like, he's eating here.
David Hopping
He's having a lobster.
Sona Movsesian
Isn't it kind of nice, though, not to, like, be obsessed with looking at your phone?
Conan O'Brien
No, it is good. And I did it because I had just read an article in the New York Times where someone said it helps break your addiction to your phone if you have a flip phone and actually recommended this brand of flip phone. And that's why I got it. And I do find if you have the security of knowing, like, here, I can call these key people and find out what's going on. Yeah, I really like not being tempted to look at the text, not being tempted to look at the emails.
Sona Movsesian
Can you tell us? Maybe they'll send us a bunch.
Conan O'Brien
No, I think that would be immoral.
Christina Ricci
What?
David Hopping
You were, like, set on it, too. It was like a Saturday, and you were like, I want this now.
Sona Movsesian
I want a flip phone.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, you know what? You know, when you get in, I don't know if everyone's like this. When I get an idea, I want to. Let's get this done, David.
David Hopping
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
And then I drove down there. I wanted to go pick it up. Yeah. I was excited. And I was still excited. I love this little guy. He's cute.
Sona Movsesian
And it goes.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah. Oh, that's my other favorite thing is when a conversation's over, I try to be argumentative at the end of the conversation. Just flip it just so I can flip, so I can snap it shut so I'll be getting along perfectly well with whoever. And then I'll say, I know you're embezzling from me. And they'll say, wait, what? You're a robber and you know it. And then I just click it shut. Yeah, Snap. That's cool. It's great. It's such a great way to end a conversation. Flip phones. Bring them back into your life, sis. Conan.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah, I'm actually inspired to get one.
David Hopping
Aren't they, like, making smart flip phones?
Sona Movsesian
I don't want a smartphone. I want to. Yeah, I want. No email. I want to.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, they also are making. There's a phone now that unboxing folds and it. And you basically unfold it and it becomes a. Like a computer screen. Yeah, I mean, things are getting weird. I say, go flip phone. That's what I say.
Eduardo Perez
Also, aren't the kids. And I don't know this, but. David, you're the closest connection to youth. Aren't they rejecting smartphones in favor of. They're called dumb phones. In favor of dumb phones.
David Hopping
I don't know.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah, you asked the wrong.
Sona Movsesian
Flip it up.
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
What's the. What's the slope.
Conan O'Brien
Hey, so are you saying that Go to flip town. Guess what? Accidentally up. Accidentally. I did something. My instinct was to do something that all the young people were doing.
Sona Movsesian
You flipped it up?
Conan O'Brien
Yeah.
Sona Movsesian
Well, I don't think you went to flip town.
Conan O'Brien
No, I flip flop.
David Hopping
You're flipping it.
Sona Movsesian
The flip flop isn't good because the flop means it didn't go well. I. I'm trying to. I. I came up with a good slogan for it. Just say flip town.
Conan O'Brien
Don't give me any of your flip flip.
David Hopping
Oh, that's awful.
Conan O'Brien
I. Anyway, that's the new me, and if you get it. Hey, anyone listening right now? If you get what you think is a spam call, pick it up. It might be me calling you.
Sona Movsesian
Your camera's here.
Conan O'Brien
Oh, there's my camera.
Sona Movsesian
Yeah.
Conan O'Brien
Peace out.
Matt Gourley
Conan O'Brien needs a friend with Conan O'Brien Sonam of Session and Matt Gourley produced by me, Matt Gourley executive produced by Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross and Nick Leow Theme song by the White Stripes Incidental music by Jimmy Vivino. Take it away, Jimmy. Our supervising producer is Aaron Blair and our associate talent producer is Jennifer. Samples, engineering and mixing by Eduardo Perez and Brendan Burns. Additional production support by Mars Melnick. Talent booking by Paula Davis, Gina Batista and Brit Kahn. You can rate and review this show on Apple Podcasts and you might find your review read on a future episode. Got a question for Conan? Call the Team Coco hotline at 669-587-2847 and leave a message. It too could be featured on a future episode. You can also get three free months of SiriusXM when you sign up@siriusxm.com Conan and if you haven't already, please subscribe to Conan O'Brien needs a friend. Wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.
Conan O'Brien
It'S time to play ball in Academy Sports and outdoors has the gear you need to bring it home for less. That's what I like to hear. Cause I'm a guy that likes to play ball.
Sona Movsesian
You're a jock.
Conan O'Brien
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Sona Movsesian
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Conan O'Brien
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Sona Movsesian
I never go anywhere anywhere without T mobile. Same goes from a water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers.
Conan O'Brien
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David Hopping
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Conan O'Brien
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David Hopping
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Conan O'Brien
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Podcast Summary: Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend – Episode with Christina Ricci
Release Date: April 7, 2025
Host: Team Coco & Earwolf
Guest: Christina Ricci
Duration: Approximately 72 minutes
Conan O’Brien warmly welcomes Christina Ricci to the podcast, reminiscing about her early appearances on his show during her youth. He reflects on the nostalgic feelings of seeing her grow from a child actor to a seasoned performer. Ricci humorously corrects Conan’s memory about her first appearance, attributing it to her role in "Casper" rather than "The Addams Family."
Notable Quote:
Conan ([11:00]): "I have a very nostalgic feeling about seeing you because you came on the show for the first time. I think it was for Addams Family, the first Addams Family movie. Possibly. You were a kid."
Conan and Christina delve into their shared past, recounting living in the same building in New York—the Police Building. They discuss mutual acquaintances like Kyle MacLachlan, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Randy Gerber, and Christy Turlington, painting a vivid picture of their early Hollywood surroundings.
Notable Quote:
Conan ([14:00]): "I was flooded because this is Conan. I mean, I don't belong there now. There was no time when I belonged there."
The conversation shifts to the challenges of early fame. Christina shares her strategies for coping with fame, such as pretending her father was a beloved town doctor to avoid the overwhelming attention. She recounts instances of dealing with persistent followers by seeking help from a trusted local store owner.
Notable Quote:
Christina Ricci ([32:22]): "I did not enjoy that [paparazzi]. Just because people, they'll follow you all the way home. And I lived by myself, and that felt very threatening."
Conan empathizes, noting how experiences differ based on gender and physical presence, highlighting the unique challenges faced by young women in the spotlight.
Conan praises Christina’s acting prowess, referencing Tim Burton's admiration for her ambiguous performance quality. They discuss the nature of acting, with Christina explaining her flat affect and how it contributes to her ability to portray complex characters.
Notable Quote:
Christina Ricci ([35:34]): "I do think there's something a little bit ambiguous about me."
Conan contrasts his own expressive style with Christina’s understated approach, highlighting their different methods of engaging with audiences.
The dialogue transitions to how fame and the entertainment industry have evolved over the years. They discuss the shift from a limited number of networks to the rise of streaming platforms, making content creation more accessible. Christina remarks on the softer, more celebratory atmosphere of current Hollywood events compared to the more serious tone of the early 2000s.
Notable Quote:
Christina Ricci ([44:36]): "Everybody just seems, like, happy to be there in a way that wasn't like that in the early 2000s."
Conan agrees, noting the democratization of content creation has opened doors for more diverse voices and ideas.
Christina and Conan discuss personal growth, particularly how aging has changed their perspectives on fame and life. Christina shares her intense attachment to her son, expressing fears about him navigating the pressures of finding his unique path without the security she had early in her career.
Notable Quote:
Christina Ricci ([39:07]): "I'm overly attached to my son, and anything he experiences emotionally, I also experience. And it's not healthy."
Conan reflects on his own journey, acknowledging improvements in his mental health and self-awareness, thanks in part to the support from Sona Movsesian.
The conversation delves into Christina’s current role in the hit Showtime series "Yellowjackets." She discusses the collaboration process with other actors, particularly how she and the actress portraying her younger self approached character consistency despite differing personalities.
Notable Quote:
Christina Ricci ([47:36]): "We're really, really different people, personality wise. Like, it's surprising how different we are."
They also touch upon the intense dedication of modern fandoms, appreciating how fans engage deeply with the narrative and characters.
Christina shares her approach to handling criticism, emphasizing her focus on personal growth over external validation. She recounts specific instances where her comments about a song led to unexpected backlash, highlighting the challenges of managing public perception in the digital age.
Notable Quote:
Christina Ricci ([53:57]): "I just found out recently from Melanie that apparently there are people who really hate our characters. And I didn't know."
Conan acknowledges the overwhelming nature of modern public scrutiny and reflects on his own past anxieties, expressing a desire to adopt a more detached stance.
As the episode nears its end, Conan and Christina exchange heartfelt thanks, celebrating their enduring connection and shared history. Christina expresses her excitement for future collaborations, and Conan humorously discusses his recent venture into using a burner phone to stay “off the grid,” adding a light-hearted twist to the closing segment.
Notable Quote:
Conan O'Brien ([66:38]): "I'm gonna be in some situation where I need this burner phone or I'm on the run."
They conclude with playful banter about modern technology and privacy, reinforcing the camaraderie between host and guest.
This episode of "Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend" offers an intimate and engaging conversation between Conan O’Brien and Christina Ricci. Through shared memories, personal anecdotes, and thoughtful reflections on fame and the entertainment industry, listeners gain a deeper understanding of Ricci’s journey and the complexities of maintaining authenticity in a demanding public sphere. The episode balances humor with heartfelt moments, providing valuable insights into both guests' lives and careers.
Key Takeaways:
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, providing an engaging and informative overview for those who haven't listened to it.