Twenty-five years after saving the world as sibling secret agents, Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara are looking back on their Spy Kids journey with nothing but fond memories.
“It is honestly, like, the opposite of the horror stories you hear. It was genuine,” PenaVega, 37, exclusively told Us Weekly while reflecting on her experience as an up-and-coming child star.
The duo — who are currently partnering up with The Salvation Army to shine a light on the incredible impact these summer camps have on children and families — said they got a warm welcome on set from some of the biggest names in Hollywood, which is something they will both forever cherish.
“Alan Cumming was like a superhero for me,” Sabara, 34, told Us about filming alongside the actor, 61, who portrayed mad scientist Fegan Floop in the 2001 movie before reprising his role in its two sequels: Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. “Alan, Carla [Gugino], Antonio [Banderas] … they didn’t treat us like kids, like they treated us like peers.”
“They were so amazing,” PenaVega echoed.
Daryl Sabara and Alexa PenaVega Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection
In the original film, viewers are introduced to Sabara and PenaVega’s characters, Carmen and Juni Cortez, who discover their parents, Gregorio [Banderas] and Ingrid [Gugino], are retired top secret spies following their abduction, leading the kids to follow in their footsteps in order to get their mom and dad back home safe.
“Antonio was coming off Zorro, so he was a superhero,” Sabara told Us. “I have a signed VHS somewhere, yeah, of The Mask of Zorro, but yeah, they were basically like pretend mom and dad … and just everyone took such great care of us.”
The original film was a massive box office success, grossing nearly $150 million worldwide. Fans got to see the cast reunite in Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002) and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003).
“We [feel] beyond blessed to have had just so many great movies back to back with that group, because it was very special,” PenaVega, now a mom of three with husband Carlos PenaVega, told Us. (Sabara, for his part, has been married to pop star Meghan Trainor since December 2018 and the pair share three children as well.)
Years after the three films, Alexa and Sabara got to portray the older version of their characters in the 2011 movie Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. There was also a fifth film, Spy Kids: Armageddon, in 2023, starring Gina Rodriguez and Zachary Levi, in which the OG stars did not reprise their roles.
Director Robert Rodriguez smashed box-office expectations with his family film Spy Kids. Featuring Rodriguez’s frequent collaborators Antonio Banderas, Danny Trejo and Cheech Marin, the 2001 action comedy is also known as the project that launched the careers of titular kids Alexa PenaVega and Daryl Sabara. The movie follows Carmen Cortez (PenaVega) and her brother, Juni […]
“It teaches beautiful lessons and values,” PenaVega said of the franchise. “So I think for a lot of different families, all walks of life, also we were a Hispanic family too, which there were not a lot of films with a multicultural family, like, in the forefront, and I think that was special too.”
Alexa and Sabara are now joining forces again for The Salvation Army’s summer camps, a new venture that is especially meaningful to them because this year marks the 25th anniversary of Spy Kids. The former costars are surprising campers ages 8-12 to join them for spy-inspired activities that encourage teamwork, creativity and fun.
Daryl Sabara and Alexa PenaVega Hubert Vestil/Getty Images
Sabara told Us that Alexa first sent him a text about the opportunity, quipping, “She’s the Salvation Army queen,” he said, adding, “It was just the fastest, easiest yes.”
“These summer camps run all across the U.S.,” Alexa shared. “They’re at little to no cost to these families, and it’s because of amazing people who are making donations to the Salvation Army, whether it’s financially, whether it’s donating their time, or different kinds of things.”
