AceShowbiz - Christina Ricci, now 44, has had a storied career in Hollywood, but her path to fame was anything but simple. Known best for her iconic role as Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" movies, Ricci recently opened up about her troubled past in a conversation with Demi Lovato for the Hulu documentary, "Child Star."

Growing up in Santa Monica, California, Ricci was the youngest of four, raised by her father, Ralph Ricci, and her mother, Sarah Ricci. Her father's failed attempts at cult leadership, mixed with severe narcissism, cast a shadow over her childhood.

"My father was a failed cult leader," Ricci explained. "And so he had all that same sort of, like, really crazy narcissism that goes along with someone wanting to run a cult."

The household was marked by chaos and physical violence, leading the young Ricci to find refuge in her acting career. "There was never any peace in my house," Ricci recalled. Landing the role of Wednesday Addams allowed her to find solace on film sets, which starkly contrasted her home environment.

"When I was working on set, Ricci said she felt safe. I knew nothing totally insane was about to happen," she reflected. "Nobody was gonna get really mad and pretend they were gonna drive the car into a wall. There was this refuge of emotional safety."

Despite the turmoil, Ricci's early start in acting brought a semblance of normalcy to her life. Her debut came in 1990 with "Mermaids," where she starred alongside Cher and Winona Ryder.

The following year, she captivated audiences as Wednesday Addams in "The Addams Family" and its 1993 sequel, "Addams Family Values." These roles, along with her performances in "Casper" and "Now and Then" in 1995, solidified her status as a child star.

Her parents' divorce when she was 13 years old, shortly after filming "Addams Family Values," further complicated her adolescence. Ricci's estrangement from her father began in her teenage years and continued into adulthood.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2000, Ricci disclosed that she decided to cut ties with her father at 20. "I know it sounds cold, but it was one of the first things I ever did in my life - to take care of myself," she said. "Decide that only people who deserve it can be in my life."

Reflecting on her father's influence, Ricci described him as "a very paranoid man" who taught his children a cynical view of humanity - that selflessness does not exist and people are inherently selfish. This challenging upbringing made her early success in Hollywood all the more poignant, as it provided an escape and a form of emotional safety that was otherwise absent in her life.