7. Christina Ricci. Addams Family Values (1993)
Whoa. Hear me out first OK. Top seven? Really? Well I think so Christina Ricci for me is probably what makes the Addams Family Values one of the films from my youth (OK, I was three when this came out) in which I have the most fond memories of. Her portrayal of the lovable, but sinisterly dark Wednesday Addams is iconic, and though she is one of the few actors on this list that have actually proven to be successes in their adult lives (in the movies at least), this to me is, and probably will always be her greatest ever screen performance. She was 13 when this sequel was released and 11 when the first film came out (where she gave an almost as great performance). To portray such a quietly sinister, powerful, and hilariously gothic performance such as this could have only had been accomplished by an actress that knew what she was doing. This performance was consistently good throughout and never once did I believe this girl hadnt been brought up in the kind of spooky environment in which her character was supposed to have had. Sure, the make-up probably helped her somewhat to not only give the performance she did, but to help the audience think of her as more gothic however, Nicole Kidmans make-up helped a great deal in The Hours, and she won an Oscar. So, make-up or no make-up, a great performance. And, if you are still unconvinced, here are two more arguments to consider. First, compare her to the actor who played her not much younger brother Pugsly. Her performance puts his to shame, and his performance wasnt exactly bad. And secondly, pretty much half of this film (the half at the summer camp) was led by Ricci, whereas the other half was led by Raul Julia and Angelica Huston in the performances of their lives. Riccis performance as Wednesday equally matched Academy Award winning Angelica Houstons and that right there is proof enough of her place in this list. Her best moment in the film: When asked by the Summer Camp leaders to smile having just sat through a day of Disney films locked away in a log cabin, the smile that follows is the greatest, most complex smile ever given on screen. Amazing and very, very creepy.