The next instalment in the Spy Kid series, from director Robert Rodriguez, is hitting theatres this weekend. To celebrate the release of the film, we sit down with star Jessica Alba to talk about the film.
The actress plays Marissa, a retired OSS (Organization of Super Spies) agent who is now the step mom to Rebecca and Cecil Wilson. When Earth is threatened by an evil villain named the Time Keeper, played by Jeremy Piven, Marissa is called back into action. Although, she doesn’t come alone, Rebecca and Cecil are along for the ride as well as they realize it’s going to take all they got to save Earth from the Time Keeper.
Check our the interview below where Alba dishes on playing the role, being a mother, her reaction to 4D and more.
Question: What did you think about playing a spy and a mom?
Jessica Alba: I thought it was cool. Iām a fan of Robertās kids movies. I love how he empowers kids in his movies. Itās not just the grownups who get to do all the cool action and take part in saving the world, itās the kids and so I think thatās really neat. And he knew that I wanted to do a kids movie after I had my daughter. The only thing is I thought I was maybe too young to play the mother of the grown kids. And being a first time mom was fine, but we settled on them being step-kids.
Question:Ā How important was it for you to have the many concepts of the working mother show in how she juggles different things. I was reading in the news that you had told Robert that you were going to incorporate the many different aspects of working mothers.
Jessica Alba: Yeah, it was also nice to see someone in a movie who struggles with it and who isnāt perfect at doing it all and is also torn between working or staying home. I think those are all things that moms or parents can relate to. Itās tough to go back to work and itās tough to spend so much time away from your kid, but you have to make a living. Itās also important to hold on to your own identity and be a good example. So, thereās all these things that you struggle with as a parent. I thought it would be nice to have that in the movie.
Question: Ten years have passed since the first film came out. Was there something that Robert was expressing that needed to be kind of different to tell the story to a new generation of kids?
Jessica Alba: No, the first Spy Kids was my favorite. I think Itās timeless. I think the theme of a family working together and the family unit and trying not to waste time, but instead to really enjoy every moment you have with your family. Those themes resonate ten years ago, ten years from now. Theyāre timeless themes and I think every kid wants to see a kid save the world and take part in the action. You get to to see that in the Spy Kids movies.
Question: Are you taking your daughter to see this movie?
Jessica Alba: Yes. This will actually be the first film of mine that she will see.
Question: So, has being a mom changed the type of movie roles that youāre taking on?
Jessica Alba: Not really. Itās more about the time commitment and also the people Iām working with more than anything. I wonāt just take a job for a paycheck, necessarily, like before it was more like āWhatās the distribution? Whatās it going to do for my career? How big was the paycheck?ā It was financial. It was also career driven. Now, itās like āAm I going to grow as an actor? Is this going to be a challenge and do I absolutely love this character?ā and āDo I respect the filmmaker? And is it going to be six months out of the year or is it going to be two weeks?ā So, Iāve taken jobs that arenāt really time consuming and are more creatively fulfilling?
Question: What was your reaction when you found out this was going to be a 4D movie?
Jessica Alba: 4D? I wasnāt really sure what that meant, to be quite honest with you and when they said āTheyāre going to have a card and people will be able to interact with the film on another level completely. Itās a choice and itās free.ā I was like āCool.ā
When I was a kid, I loved scratch and sniff stickers. They were like my favorite thing ever. You know, it just brings that element to life in the film.
Question: We see a lot of action. Which scene was the most fun to film?
Jessica Alba: I really enjoyed doing the first sequence when I was going through lab and kicking butt. That was fun for me, because there was a lot of comedy in there, obviously.
Question: The kids are saying that Robert is like a big kid himself on set. Do you see a difference in energy when heās directing something like this as opposed to his other films like Machete or is he always a big kid?
Jessica Alba: He is a big kid always. Heās just more of a teenage boy when heās doing Machete versus a little kid when heās silly and playing with kids and stuff.
Question: Robert said at Comic-Con that thereās going to be a Sin City 2. Is that something you can say that youāll be a part of?
Jessica Alba: If they wrote me in. Weāll see.
Question: Are you on an exercise schedule after your pregnancy to do action films?
Jessica Alba: Yes, I would obviously have to train for whatever it is. I do have a workout regimen that Iāll probably follow to lose the baby weight.
Question: How do you think youāve grown as an actress since Dark Angel?
Jessica Alba:Ā Iām much more of a risk taker and more fearless now than I was when I was. I was much more self-aware before and I cared too much of what people thought of me. And now, I really donāt. I probably should though.
Question:Ā You have a thicker skin now?
Jessica Alba: I do and itās kind of like āIf you donāt like it, move on. Itās not the end of the world.” Where, when I was doing āDark Angel, I was such a people pleaser.
Question:Ā Were you able to bond with or mentor the kids in the movie?
Jessica Alba:Ā Not really mentor, but we hung out and bonded, I guess. Actually, their studio teacher was my very first studio teacher as a kid, which was funny. I was like āOh my god. I remember you from āCamp Nowhereā. Thatās so weird. You look exactly the same. How is that possible?ā He really looks exactly the same.
That concludes our interview but we’d like to thank Jessica very much for talking with us. Be sure to check out Spy Kids: All The Time In The World when it hits theatres this Friday.