‘Spy Kids’ star Alexa PenaVega says ‘Spy Kids 4’ ‘didn’t count:’ ‘It was like a bit of a weird bittersweet movie’

• Alexa PenaVega told Insider that she thought "Spy Kids 4" didn't count.
• PenaVega played the role of Carmen Cortez in all four "Spy Kids" movies.
• "Spy Kids 4" saw PenaVega and her original co-star, Daryl Sabara, as adults helping a new generation of "Spy Kids."
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Alexa PenaVega, who starred in all four "Spy Kids" movies as Carmen Cortez, told Insider that she thought "Spy Kids 4" did not "count."

PenaVega was speaking to Insider about her experience filming the "Spy Kids" series after the 20th anniversary of the first movie earlier this year.

She told Insider that coming to the set for "Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World" was "bittersweet."

"It's sad because you're like, 'Okay, I know, we're not kids anymore,'" the 32-year-old actress said. " 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."

"Spy Kids 4," which premiered ten years ago, was the only film not to have PenaVega and Daryl Sabara as the main characters, however, both reprised their roles as Carmen and Juni Cortez in the movie. In the movie, Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook play twins who find out that their new stepmom, Marissa (played by Jessica Alba) is an ex-agent and thus they become agents themselves.

PenaVega said she felt "Spy Kids 4" was out of place with the rest of the series.

She continued: "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 another "Spy Kids" movie is on its way with Robert Rodriguez, the creator of the series, returning to write and direct. PenaVega told Insider that she would be part of the movie if it came to fruition.

She said: "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."

As for her favorite of the series, PenaVega told Insider that she loved "Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams" because there were more kids on set and there were "pivotal moments" during the filming of the movie, such as her first kiss.