The 'Yellowjackets' actress welcomed daughter Cleopatra with husband Mark Hampton in December 2021
For Christina Ricci, being a mom is her number one priority.
During a recent appearance on the "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty" podcast, the "Yellowjackets" actress got candid about how her hectic filming schedule has impacted her relationship with her 2-year-old daughter, Cleopatra, whom she shares with husband Mark Hampton.
"Last year, I was commuting back and forth to Vancouver for ‘Yellowjackets.’ She didn't know me," she said. "We had no bond. So that was very upsetting."
"My kids do not like it when I travel," added Ricci, who also shares 9-year-old son Freddie with ex-husband James Heerdegen. "When I'm away, I try to take my son with me as much as I can."
CHRISTINA RICCI SAYS SHE DOESN'T REGRET HER CHILD STAR YEARS
Christina Ricci attends the World Premiere of Season Two Of Showtime's "Yellowjackets" at TCL Chinese Theatre on March 22, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Robin L Marshall/WireImage)
However, commuting as a family of four can get "expensive," Ricci said.
"If you're a series regular, you have to pay for everything, so I can't... 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," she added.
While she tries to "get back as often" as she can, Ricci said that this go-around of managing work and motherhood has been "much easier."
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Christina Ricci has two children, 2-year-old Cleopatra and 9-year-old Freddie. (MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
"There are certain things like my son was never sleep trained because I had to go back to work when he was 2 months old," she said.
"[My ex] wouldn't help me at all with anything," she added.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
"I went and shot ‘Wednesday’ in Romania when [Cleopatra] was 2 months old, and Mark did every single night all night long," she said of her partnership with Hampton. "Like I just slept and worked the next day, and it made such a huge difference. It was so much easier this time around. You know, you have to have a good supportive partner."
In 2023, Ricci opened up about her own childhood and explained why acting at a young age was an "escape" from her "horrendous" childhood.
Christina Ricci at the "Addams Family" Beverly Hills premiere on Nov. 19, 1991. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
"As a kid, it was an escape from, like, a horrendous childhood and just getting to go away – be in hotels and be on set and be with other adults and be valued. All the little things that sort of are negative about the industry and the career, they've always been things that I've just been like, 'Well, real life is worse.'"
"I also think that I really benefited from [Hollywood] in a time where gradually things have been getting better and are so much better now. We benefit from all the amazing work that younger generations are doing."
However, in 2018, Ricci told the New York Post that she would not put her own son into the industry.
"I feel it’s child abuse to make your child famous," she said of then-4-year-old son Freddie. "Once he’s an adult, and he studies, and he understands that it’s an art form, then he can pursue an acting career if he’d like."
"Being famous is not good for children, it’s just not. We have a million examples of why it’s not good for children. I’m just not going to risk it. Why would you put the most precious thing in your life up for that?"
Christina Dugan Ramirez is a freelance entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
