Christina Ricci Doesn’t Feel Like a ‘Pioneer’ for Spooky Roles: ‘I Was Lucky to Play Interesting Young Girls’ (Exclusive)

Christina Ricci is the darkly delightful pop culture gift that keeps on giving.

From her breakout role as the ultimate goth girl, Wednesday Addams, in The Addams Family, where her deadpan humor and eccentric charm made her a household name, to her haunting portrayal of the mystical Katrina Van Tassel in Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, the 44-year-old actress has cemented herself as an irreplaceable icon of our generation.

“That’s very kind of you. I don’t feel like a pioneer… certainly,” Ricci tells PEOPLE when asked what it feels like to be a spooky legend and pioneer in this type of movie genre.

“I was lucky as a young person at that time [with] where our culture was to play really interesting roles, interesting young girls and then interesting women.”

For many of us, the Yellowjackets star became a fixture of our childhoods, shaping how we saw the world of the macabre with a mix of dark humor and heartwarming magic.

Who can forget Casper? Ricci’s portrayal of Kat Harvey had us all believing in ghosts and the possibility of befriending our own. From flying under the stars of Friendship, Maine, to her and (human) Casper’s unforgettable slow dance (I’m not crying, you are), it’s no wonder the 1995 supernatural comedy is a timeless classic for many.

“I just feel like I kind of lucked out,” Ricci continues. “I wasn’t really capable of playing the other type of woman that was available or other type of little girl that they were writing for. So I just feel like I was lucky that there were opportunities and parts and roles.”

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Ricci made the idea of the supernatural seem approachable, relatable and endearing, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The actress recently reunited with her Addams Family costars at L.A. Comic Con, sharing memories alongside Anjelica Huston and Christopher Llloyd, among others.

She’s also leaning into her spooky season persona by releasing a new tarot deck, Cat Full of Spiders, available for purchase now.