‘The Addams Family’ Star’s Portrayal of Catwoman in DC’s New Animated Series Breaks a 20-Year-Old Record
Christina Ricci, widely known for her role as Wednesday Addams in the American supernatural comedy film The Addams Family, made her film debut at the age of 9 in the 1990 film Mermaids. She went on to star in several movies before she graced the screens as Wednesday.
Ricci has joined the sprawling star cast of Batman: Caped Crusader. It has been recently revealed that she has voiced the character of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the series. The character has been portrayed on the screen numerous times, but the Yellowjackets actress’ portrayal is the kind that has not been seen in 2 decades.
The Addams Family Actress’ Portrayal of Catwoman Is Different from What The Audience Has Witnessed So Far
Besides playing Wednesday in the 1991 movie, Christina Ricci reprised the role in Barry Sonnenfeld’s eponymous big-budget cartoon series and the film’s 1993 sequel, Addams Family Values. Her first lead role came in 1995 when she starred in Casper, a supernatural comedy film based on the eponymous Harvey Comics character, and transitioned to adult roles with Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm.
These days, Ricci is gracing the screens as Misty Quigley on the Showtime thriller drama series Yellowjackets, and soon, she will be appearing as Catwoman in Batman: Caped Crusader. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, executive producer Bruce Timm spoke of her versatility as he claimed that she can effortlessly switch from dark to playful.
She is so versatile. I mean, she can go dark, serious, and adult. She can also go youthful and wacky. We wanted [Selina Kyle] to be not too dark and serious, as most Catwomans have been for the last 20 years or so. We wanted her to be…not ditzy, but just not serious.
From Adrienna Barbeau in Batman: The Animated Series to Zoë Kravitz in 2022’s The Batman, numerous actresses have played the character on the screen in a serious tone. So, this new portrayal will be a new take on the vigilante superhero.
Bruce Timm Claims Catwoman Brings Batman Out of His Shell in Caped Crusader
Timm, the mastermind behind some of the best DC animated series, revealed that in this new series, Catwoman is like a throwback to the femme fatales of the film noir era with a strong self-determination. He also stated that she draws reactions out of the otherwise closed-off Batman, voiced by Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass, The Big Short).
There’s something going on there and he doesn’t really know how to deal with it. Our Batman is closed off emotionally, all the way down to the ground. We jokingly kept saying throughout the show that he makes Mr. Spock look like the life of the party. As much as he tries to tamp down all of his emotions, [Catwoman] throws him off.
He claimed that Batman is “obsessed” with catching Catwoman and putting her behind bars just so that he has to think less about her. He also revealed that there will be other romantic plotlines in the series.
Batman: The Caped Crusader is scheduled to premiere on Amazon Prime on August 1, 2024.
