Christina Ricci's four-year-old daughter, Cleopatra, has a cheeky response whenever someone calls her cute: 'I'm not cute. I'm Cleo'. The actress shared the exchange in an interview in April 2025, explaining how her youngest child responds when people describe her by her appearance.
The Golden Globe-winning actress also revealed that Cleo has recently started to recognise her mother on screen after apparently spotting her in the 1995 family film Casper. Speaking at a Clarins event in Austin, Texas, on 24 October 2026, the actress discussed how her youngest child is beginning to understand what her mum does for a living, although she has yet to watch one of her films, as Ricci explained.
Christina Ricci Poses with Daughter Cleo, 3, and Son Freddie, 10, in Rare Appearance at Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony https://t.co/8rYAYMwEW2
— People (@people) March 6, 2025
Praising Her Daughter's Personality
In the interview, Ricci also discussed how she encourages her daughter to value qualities beyond her appearance. She said she makes a point of praising Cleo for her personality, abilities and efforts rather than focusing exclusively on how she looks.
'I talk about how strong she is, how hard she tried, how smart she is, how funny she is', Ricci said. Her comments highlighted the importance she places on recognising her daughter's individual qualities as she grows up.
The actress also recalled a more colourful response from Cleo during their conversation about being called cute. According to Ricci, her daughter told her, 'F*** you, Mom. You won't define me'.
Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa reunite 30 years after Casper pic.twitter.com/74fgBvIVy8
— TaraBull (@TaraBull) May 5, 2026
How Cleo Discovered Her Mum Was in Casper
Ricci has also been sharing a glimpse of how her youngest child is beginning to discover her acting career. At the Clarins event in Austin on 24 October, she explained that her older child is already familiar with her work, while Cleo is only recently starting to make the connection between her mother and the films she sees on screen.
'My 12-year-old knows all about it', Ricci said, referring to her career. 'My four-year-old doesn't really know, but she's recently discovered that'.
'Mommy, that's your face', Cleo reportedly said. Ricci said the remark led to a conversation between her and Cleo as to why she appeared on screen. 'But she hasn't seen Casper yet or any of my movies really', Ricci said, adding, 'But we'll see'.
The discovery came after Cleo apparently spotted her mother in Casper, the 1995 family comedy in which Ricci played Kat Harvey, a 13-year-old girl who moves to an abandoned house in Friendship, Maine with her father played by Bill Pullman, where she meets and befriends a ghost, named Casper.
Christina Ricci has been acting since childhood, and Casper remains one of her best-known early roles. The film has now provided a moment in which her youngest daughter has begun to recognise her mother's work beyond their everyday life together.
While her 12-year-old already knows about her career, Cleo is only beginning to understand that her mother appears in films and television programmes. And as she begins to discover her mother's life on screen, her cheeky response is a reminder that she is already finding her own way to push back against other people's expectations.
