‘Spy Kids’ at 20: Alexa PenaVega recalls the ‘special’ experience of filming the iconic movie series

• Alexa PenaVega talks to Insider about the experience of filming "Spy Kids."
• In March 2021, PenaVega and her co-stars celebrated 20 years since the release of the first movie.
• PenaVega said these movies are "special" because they were "empowering" for young kids.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

It's been 20 years since the iconic family movie "Spy Kids" was first shown in theaters. "Spy Kids" stood out among its noughties family movie peers, earning a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93% and encouraging three sequels, each weirder than the last.

The popularity of the "Spy Kids" series lives on despite the last entry coming out ten years ago. Last year, thousands of people watched the film's stars, Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara, reunite over an Instagram Live.

In the series, PenaVega and Sabara starred as two ordinary children, Carmen and Junie Cortez, who find out their parents are spies and then become spies themselves.

To commemorate the milestone, Insider spoke to PeneVega who told us that these movies are "special" because they were "empowering" for young kids. Her favorite of the series is the sequel "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams" because she can remember many important moments during the filming of that movie.

"It was the most fun to shoot because there were other kids on set plus the stunt kids," PenaVega told Insider. "So it was just tonnes of kids on set. And I had my first kiss on that set, off-screen. It was really exciting. For a young kid, these were pivotal moments in my life."

Insider spoke to Alexa PenaVega about whether she'd appear in a future "Spy Kids" movie, what was it like filming the series and why she thinks "Spy Kids" became so successful.

Insider: There have been a lot of kids movies in the last 20 years, why do you think "Spy Kids" is one of those that have stood out?

Alexa PenaVega: It was kind of the first of its kind. The way that "The Goonies" was such a standout because they didn't have many films like that during that time. They didn't have movies like "Spy Kids," where the kids were really the ones that were in charge, and they were doing something awesome and amazing.

I also think it was the first time that Hispanic kids were leading a movie and it was about a Latino family. That was pushing the envelope for the time. Now we see a whole lot of that and that's awesome but I really do feel like it's paved the way for a lot of movies.

When was the moment that you realized how big "Spy Kids" was?

I remember going to the Spy Kids premiere and just kind of being like, "Whoa." They had it at Disneyland and there were so many people. I remember everybody being there just being like, "this movie is gonna be huge." Just hearing that as a kid you're kind of like, "Whoa, what does that even mean?" You just know that it's exciting.

But the biggest, biggest moment was when we went to the Mall of America to do an autograph signing. I think I was only 12 and Daryl must have only been nine or something like that. The line to do the signing was packed. They couldn't fit any more people and then if you look up from where the autograph signing was happening, it was just crowds of people. You kind of almost feel like a rock star.

What was it like filming Spy Kids 4? With you and Daryl not being the main actors, it was almost passing on the baton to a new set of Spy Kids

We were just so excited to get back on set again. Robert uses the same crew over and over and over again so we were hanging out talking about the good old days and you being able to see those gadgets again, those sets again was super nostalgic. But it almost kind of feels like "Spy Kids 4" didn't count. Only because it was like this weird one-off that they didn't do anything else with and I really felt like they could have taken advantage of the Cortez family a little bit more. I do feel like I feel like "Spy Kids 4" was kind of miss. I feel like Daryl would agree with me. It was like a bit of a weird bittersweet movie, but we're so thankful we've done it because it was good seeing everybody again.

Variety reported that there is another "Spy Kids" in the works. If it were to happen and there was a role for you would you take it?

Oh my Gosh. Yes. Yes. I think more so now. I don't know if this is what happens to kids when they're in successful movies but there is a minute there where you're like, "Oh, I want to be able to move on from this and do something new." But it's been so many years that are you kidding? In a heartbeat. And I know Daryl would say the same. Like in a heartbeat we would both be there.

You mentioned Daryl a lot. Do you still keep in touch with him?

We're family and he always will be. We talk a couple of times a month. Check-in with each other. We haven't seen each other in years. We need to see each other. I try to get him out here to Hawaii to visit. I think his wife [Meghan Trainor] is so busy all the time so they've been super busy. We always laugh because we used to fight so much like a real brother and sister growing up and we love each other so much now. It's a miracle that we're so close.

If your character, Carmen, was your age now, what do you think she would be doing?

Oh, what would she be doing? It's so hard because I always felt like Carmen was such an independent girl that I don't know that she would have gotten married and had kids very quickly. She was the harder one to get to really appreciate and value family. She was always a little bit of a rebel. I feel like for sure Junie would have had a family but Carmen might be a little late to that game because she's still off saving the world.

What was your favorite part of being part of the "Spy Kids" series? The gadgets, the stories, what did you love the most?

You'd think it would be all the gadgets and the sets and all that stuff but it was the cast and crew. We shot back to back in Austin, Texas and when you're there with the same cast and crew again and again, they really do become your family. Those memories of when we're not filming and we set up a breakdancing room. We found this abandoned room that nobody was using at the studio that we broke the lock and we got in and we taped cardboard all up. And we would all breakdance in that room. Those are the fun memories to me, like the moments where we were off set just having a blast together. We really are family. I know that if I saw any of those people today - crew, cast, anybody - we would all just pick up right where we left off because that's what family does.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.