Christina Ricci, 33, is a beautiful girl, but her connection to infamous, ax-swinging murderer Lizzie Borden is questionable.

The actress, who stars in the title role in the Lifetime film Lizzie Borden Took an Ax, says she is drawn to people who have issues.

“I’m interested in people who are troubled. Their behavior comes from their neuroses. I loved the idea of living inside someone so villainous and trying to express the person everyone can relate to,” Ricci said.

The movie is based on the real life story of Lizzie Borden who was acquitted of the murders of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden, during a trial in 1893. The trial also inspired the creepy children’s rhyme, “Lizzy Borden took an ax and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she saw what she had done, gave her father 41.”

“[Lizzie Borden] was guilty, but the jury couldn’t see their way to convict her. Very little is known about what went on in the family, but obviously she was a very troubled girl. You don’t kill your parents if you’re happy,” she said.

The pint-sized Ricci said she surprised the cast and crew with her strength as she swung her ax during filming.

“I’m surprising strong. Everyone was impressed with my ax-swinging skills — until I swung the ax backwards, and it was so big and heavy that I hit myself on the back of my spine. It made quite a horrendous sound. I didn’t know my spine would sound hollow if you hit it with a big chunk of metal,” she said.

The movie will air on Lifetime on Jan. 25.

Image via Wikimedia