Christina Ricci and Demi Lovato reveal how they hid booze on set as teenagers

"I would say, 'If you're gonna work me like an adult, I'm gonna party like an adult,'" Lovato recalled.

Christina Ricci and Demi Lovato both turned to alcohol and drugs during their adolescent stardom — and found creative ways to hide their liquor on set.

In Lovato's new documentary Child Star, the former teen actors reflected on how illicit substances and underage drinking helped them feel a sense of autonomy. "I immediately went right to drugs and alcohol in my teens," Ricci recalled. "I don't remember feeling like there was any other way to be happy. And I would imagine, too, if you felt like you have absolutely no control over your life, that's one of the few things that you had control over."

Lovato, who uses she/they pronouns, explained their own justification for drinking in their youth. "I would say, 'If you're gonna work me like an adult, I'm gonna party like an adult,'" she said. "I had to be so conscious of everything that I did as a Disney kid. You obviously couldn't cuss or swear in public. You couldn't be seen with red Solo cups because it could insinuate that there's alcohol in them."

Related: Drew Barrymore and Demi Lovato reflect on being given 'substances' as children: 'It's unfathomable'

Ricci had a similar experience. "I actually remember that too: If you had a Solo cup on set, it would be a whole thing," she said. "So I put my booze in my Diet Coke can."

Lovato had developed a nearly identical strategy: "I put it in a coffee cup!" the Camp Rock star said, laughing.

Ricci also had a not-so-subtle code with her team. "I would say to my assistant, 'Could I have a warming Diet Coke, please?'" the Yellowjackets actress shared.

Ricci made her film debut at the age of nine in 1990's Mermaids opposite Cher and Winona Ryder, before hitting it big with The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, and Casper.

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Lovato co-directed Child Star with Nicola Marsh. In addition to speaking with Ricci, the "Heart Attack" singer also reflects on the perils of young celebrity with Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symoné, JoJo Siwa, Kenan Thompson, and Alyson Stoner.

Related: Demi Lovato apologizes to Alyson Stoner for letting fame get to her head between Camp Rock movies

Elsewhere in the doc, Lovato discussed how the Disney brand and her personal sense of marketability affected her worldview. "I started noticing the word 'Brand' in conversations, and it just came into my consciousness when I was about 15, whenever I started working on Disney Channel," they said. "You know, like, what image am I going to put out there of myself? It's confusing when you start profiting off of your brand, which you confuse with yourself."

Those factors still impact how Lovato views herself. "I still think about what's on-brand," she said in the film. "That's something that I deal with to this day. This teenage role model. Those words should never be put together: teenage role model."

Child Star is now streaming on Hulu.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.