Christina Ricci Reflects on Going Viral for Bashing Live and ‘Lightning Crashes’

In February, Yellowjackets actress Christina Ricci went viral for sharing her disdain for Live and their 1994 hit "Lightning Crashes." In a new appearance on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, she reflects on how her comments went viral.

The topic came up when Ricci and O'Brien were talking about how the fanbase for Yellowjackets is very passionate. O'Brien then asks Ricci if she goes online and reads any fan comments about the show. While she doesn't personally seek out fan comments, Ricci said a number of her co-stars do.

O'Brien then says regarding any fan comments that he may not have seen, whether overwhelmingly positive or negative, "My experience has been if it is dire, someone is going to tell me."

Ricci agreed and added, "I did this series of interviews with [co-star] Melanie [Lynskey], and I made some comment about this song that's in the show that I had a lot of pent-up rage about, because the entire time we were shooting, everybody tried to gaslight me and tell me that it was a great song. And I was like, 'I know it's not, so everyone can stop lying to me.'"

She continues, " ... And then my producing partner was like, 'Oh, did you see the sites? [You comment]'s everywhere!' And I was like, 'What are you talking about?' And then, this clip [of me] was everywhere! The band responded and all of this stuff, and I had absolutely no idea."

Ricci concluded, "I kind of felt in that instance, somebody should have told me that I shouldn't be bad-mouthing somebody's song."

To refresh your memory: During an interview with the U.K.'s Absolute Radio, Ricci and Lynskey were asked whether there was a particular song they'd like featured in a fan edit. Ricci answered, "As long as it's not another Live song." (Since Yellowjackets follows the present-day lives of a group of people who survived a plane crash as teens in 1996, frequent flashbacks mean the show's soundtrack features a lot of '90s music.)

She continues about "Lightning Crashes," "I really hate that song. They had to lie to me halfway through filming that scene because I kept making fun of it, in the performance, and they were like, ‘We’re not sure we’re gonna use this song so please stop singing it, in that voice.’ And they were lying to me, to get me to stop making fun of it.”

Ricci also bashed "Lightning Crashes" during a "fan mail" video for InStyle. She said of the Yellowjackets soundtrack, "Some of these songs that we have to f---ing listen to. I’m sorry, but Live was never cool. And when it came out in high school – when I was in high school – and that Live song… everyone was like, ‘Dorks all love Live’. And then we come to shoot that scene and everyone’s like ‘I love this song, it’s so amazing!’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ Do I have amnesia?"

Lynskey chimed in, "I love that song," which led to Ricci firing back, "No, you don't!" Lynskey replied, "I kind of do, though!"