Meet Christina Ricci's Two Kids

Motherhood brought about a stunning transformation for Christina Ricci. The "Addams Family" star became a first-time parent in 2014 after welcoming Freddie Heerdegen with ex-husband James Heerdegen. Christina opened up to People in 2016 about how the adorable little one irrevocably changed her perspective on life, explaining, "It's made everything in my life actually important and matter. I now have to take things seriously, and I never did before." She added, "I want to succeed for him. My choices matter more." 

When the former child star subsequently appeared on the "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty," podcast in March 2024, Ricci disclosed that unfortunately she couldn't sleep train Freddie because she had to return to work when he was only two months old. To make matters worse, James didn't lend her a helping hand, so she had to take her infant son on the road with her and make him sleep on her bed so that she could catch the bare minimum hours required to function through the day. 

In 2021, the old school horror movie kid who is unrecognizable now welcomed her second child, Cleopatra Ricci Hampton, with her husband, Mark Hampton. On "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty," Christina shared that she, once again, had to return to work and film "Wednesday" when her baby girl was only two months old. However, this time around, she was able to establish a better work-life balance, and it was all thanks to Mark, who cared for their baby through the night. Despite all the ups and downs of parenting, the actor ultimately couldn't be happier about the way her kids are growing up.

During a 2018 interview with People, Christina Ricci revealed that although she hadn't made her then-3-year-old son, Freddie Heerdegen, aware that she was an actor, he learned of the fact through his classmates. After his mom opened up about her career, Freddie started coming back to her with movies he wanted to see. Eventually, they watched "Casper" together, and it only confused Freddie further because he started believing that Ricci was actually best friends with the beloved cartoon ghost and that her childhood days were identical to her character's. 

Fortunately, as Freddie grew older, he was able to better appreciate his mother's acting work. In 2023, she was pleased to report that the-then-8-year-old enjoyed her performance in "Wednesday" so much that he had watched the show all the way through twice, as Ricci proudly informed Entertainment Tonight. Additionally, "Yellowjackets" also carved out a special place in his heart. While Freddie may appreciate his mother's craft, the "Sleepy Hollow" star admitted to People that she wasn't rushing to kick start his acting career any time soon — for obvious reasons.

 "I think when he's an adult, he can do anything he wants and if it's an artistic path he wants to pursue, then he's going to learn everything about that art form and he's going to view it as an art and not as something to get famous," Ricci reasoned.  In fact, the "Addams Family Values" star proclaimed to the New York Post in 2019 that pushing kids into anything that would bring them fame was equivalent to "child abuse." Further, Ricci made it clear that her son wouldn't have access to a phone until he was 25.

During a 2022 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," former child star Christina Ricci confessed that she was surprised by her own daughter's name. The "Yellowjackets" star and her husband, Mark Hampton, had initially decided to name their daughter Cleo. It was only when she was about to deliver her that Mark suggested that Cleo was short for Cleopatra. While Ricci told him they would discuss it after her arrival, Mark was happy with the name and confirmed it publicly on social media. As a result, she was officially named Cleopatra Ricci Hampton. 

While appearing on the "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty" podcast, Christina also acknowledged that work negatively affected her relationship with her daughter, recalling, "Last year I was commuting back and forth to Vancouver for 'Yellowjackets.' She didn't know me. We had no bond. So that was very upsetting." The "Casper" star's kids understandably weren't too keen on travelling, and she had to foot the bill for their expenses every time they did, so Christina usually had no choice but to stay apart from them for extended periods of time.

Back in May 2022, Christina shared a snap on Instagram of her getting dolled up on set with her infant daughter in her lap to give a realistic look at her work-life balance. Meanwhile, during a 2024 Entertainment Tonight Canada interview, Christina divulged that she hadn't witnessed her Emmy nomination for "Yellowjackets" in real time because Cleopatra had kept her up until 5 a.m. because she was teething. Thus, she had only learned of the achievement hours later (via Us Weekly).