‘Z: The Beginning Of Everything’ Star Christina Ricci Talks Nerve-Wracking Sex Scenes And Casting Her Love Interest

Zelda Fitzgerald didn’t have much control over her life, but the same can’t be said for Christina Ricci. As star and executive producer, Ricci was able to call the shots on Amazon Prime’s new series “Z: The Beginning of Everything,” which follows the love story of “Great Gatsby” writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. Her producer duties allowed her to help decide who would play the Scott to her Zelda in the period drama.

During an interview with International Business Times, Ricci praised David Hoflin’s portrayal of the famous writer. “I’m very happy that David came and walked into the room. We love David,” she said.

Hoflin, however, was rather nervous after finding out that Ricci was executive producer. “So that kind of adds a little bit of pressure there … although on set I didn’t feel that way,” Hoflin told IBTimes.

It wasn’t just the stress of auditioning with an executive producer. The Australian actor didn’t feel great because of food poisoning, but that may have actually helped him win the role. Ricci was ill as well. “I felt that I [had food poisoning] too, and I never had that,” Ricci revealed. “It was funny on the same day he had it, and then I had it. It was just meant to be.”

What could be worse than having food poisoning during an audition? Having a sex scene with someone you barely know. The awkward circumstances around their first meeting for “Z: The Beginning of Everything” didn’t break the ice enough to make their love scene totally relaxed.

“The sex scene is always like your first day of shooting, or the big death scene is the first day. There’s always some harrowing experience for your first day, and with us, it was the cemetery sex scene,” Ricci teased.

Not every scene was a loving one. Scott and Zelda have a difficult romance. The writer takes the spotlight and even uses Zelda’s writing as his own sometimes. He keeps her from doing some of the things she wants, and that causes fighting—something Ricci and Hoflin love to portray.

“We like episodes where we got to fight with each other. [Episode 9] was fun. We both like to yell at each other. And I like to throw things,” Ricci smiled.

“Yeah, I like to kind of evade things as she throws,” Hoflin added.

Though Scott and Zelda live a very extravagant life in “Z,” which is based on the historical novel by Therese Anne Fowler, it isn’t unrelatable. Despite the fancy parties and outrageous shopping habits, it’s still a love story.

“I think at the heart of it, it’s a story about two people who were very passionately in love, and that’s something I hope that people can relate to as a whole,” Hoflin noted. “It doesn’t really matter what the outside experience was. But I also think because of the experience of 1920s New York, there is a romanticized notion of that as well that is something that at least I feel is appealing to people’s romantic side.”

All episodes of “Z: The Beginning of Everything” Season 1 premiere Friday, Jan. 27 on Amazon Prime.