美国国家公共电台 NPR Forget F. Scott: In 'Z,' Christina Ricci Tells Zelda Fitzgerald's Story

 

LOURDES GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Christina Ricci's career in movies began early - really early. She was only 10 when she played the adorably malevolent¹ Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family." She went on to play fascinating, often dark and damaged women. And she became known as an actress who could tap into complex roles.

Her latest is that of another complicated woman. She plays Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of the famed author F. Scott Fitzgerald. He called her the first American flapper, known for her beauty and her high spirits.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "Z: THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING")

CHRISTINA RICCI: (As Zelda Fitzgerald) The night smelled of khaki and cigarettes. The war was finally here in all of its disordered grandeur⁴. I felt its urgency. If I waited, it might be gone forever.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Zelda struggled with mental illness and alcoholism. But actress Christina Ricci learned there was much more to Zelda Fitzgerald's life.

RICCI: The only thing I knew about her was sort of this common misconception that she was this alcoholic⁵, crazy woman who ruined F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and, if not for her, he would have had a great life. And, you know, the truth is always way more complicated than that. But in this case, it's very, very untrue.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right. She suffered from, possibly bipolar disorder³ but what we believe to be schizophrenia. Do you think that she was misunderstood? For people who might not have seen the series or read the book, you know, what did you discover about Zelda?

RICCI: Well, she definitely was misunderstood. And she also lived at a time when, you know, they couldn't make that diagnosis⁶ of schizophrenia. And we can't now retroactively make the diagnosis of her being bipolar.

For somebody who doesn't know anything about her, she was in a very dysfunctional marriage with F. Scott Fitzgerald. She was very young when she met him. They were both incredibly arrogant⁷ and narcissistic⁸. And what she loved about him was that he recognized in her a talent for writing - an intelligence, creativity that nobody had really recognized in her before.

And so initially⁹, she loved this. And she felt that by being his muse¹⁰, she would then be allowed to have a career of her own. But it turned out that he was not comfortable with her ever achieving any success even close to his. It was a very competitive relationship. And no matter what she tried to do, she was never allowed to be anything more than his wife. And that wasn't enough for her. And it ultimately led to her nervous breakdown¹¹.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Is it hard as an actress to find these complicated roles as you get older? I mean, you've been an actress in so many different periods of your own life. You had to bring this to Amazon yourself. Is it hard to find these complex roles?

RICCI: Well, for me, I wouldn't necessarily have been cast in this had I auditioned¹² for it, even if I gave the exact same performance I gave in the show. And it's because of how I'm viewed.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: How do you think they see you?

RICCI: I don't know. But I know I'm not really the typical romantic lead.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So you had to play a range of ages in this. And you start with Zelda when she's extremely young. I think she was 19.

RICCI: I go from 18 to 20 in this first season.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Right. I think I read somewhere that you didn't want to play young as stupid, which is what a lot of people do.

RICCI: Yeah. I definitely think people play young as stupid. And I think, you know, one of the things that has actually been a hard part for me in terms of being cast in things is that I am very youthful seeming. The way that I speak, the way that I act - it's very young. And so for me, I didn't necessarily play her younger. I just played her as she was written, what she was going through. You know, I'm lucky in that I just kind of have a more teenage demeanor¹³. Lucky for this, not lucky generally.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Not lucky - you still get carded, for example (laughter).

RICCI: Yeah. And I also tend to speak like a teenager. I have a - I just have a very teenage thing, which I'm trying to overcome. You're very easily dismissed if you're a small woman who looks young and then talks like an idiot or a teenager (laughter). You know, I say like a lot and you know a lot and all these things. And I'm trying to fight them.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: We all have those tics. I certainly do as well. You're a mother now, though.

RICCI: Yes. That is another reason to not be a teenager.

(LAUGHTER)

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Has it changed you?

RICCI: Yeah, definitely. I think it's probably the most growth I've ever - it was the biggest growing experience for me ever. In one year, I feel like I aged², emotionally, 10 years.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: When you look at your son, you having had the experiences that you had, I read that you wouldn't advise being a child actor to anyone - that it was difficult for you. If he wants to go into the family business, what would you tell him?

RICCI: I would never let a child make a decision that's going to affect the rest of their life. You know, I would wait till he was an adult and have him treat it like a real art form and a craft and go to school for it and have respect for it and respect for any kind of achievement. Anything he achieves in this industry shouldn't come too easily.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Christina Ricci is in the new Amazon series called "Z: The Beginning Of Everything." She joined us from our New York bureau.

Thanks so much for being with us.

RICCI: Thank you.

1 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

4 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

5 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

6 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

7 arrogant   

adj.傲慢的，自大的

参考例句：

• You've got to get rid of your arrogant ways.你这骄傲劲儿得好好改改。
• People are waking up that he is arrogant.人们开始认识到他很傲慢。

8 narcissistic   

adj.自我陶醉的，自恋的，自我崇拜的

参考例句：

• In the modern vocabulary, it was narcissistic. 用时髦话说，这是一种自我陶醉狂。 来自辞典例句
• This is our Nielaoshi, a dwarf has also grown narcissistic teachers. 这就是我们的倪老师，一个长得又矮又自恋的老师。 来自互联网

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

10 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

11 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

12 auditioned   

vi.试听（audition的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• None of the actresses we have auditioned is suitable. 我们试听的这些女演员都不合适。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• What is that, from some script you auditioned for in the '40s? 什么玩意儿是你40年代试的那些剧本吗？ 来自电影对白

13 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。