Alexa Vega, best known for her childhood roles in the Spy Kids franchise, co-stars in Machete Kills, the new film directed by Robert Rodriguez. Auditioning for the provocative role of KillJoy, Vega had to convince Rodriguez, who also directed Spy Kids, to envision her in this adult part. “I’ve known Robert for fourteen years so I had a lot of convincing to do when it came to this role because he wasn’t quite ready to see me in a more grown up film,” Vega told Uinterview exclusively. “He still pictured me as that little girl, but I finally convinced him that I was capable of doing this.”

Machete Kills, the sequel to 2010’s Machete, continues the story of Danny Trejo‘s former Mexican police detective-turned-spy, Machete. This time around, Machete is recruited by the U.S. President (Charlie Sheen) to stop a madmen from launching a deadly missile aimed at Washington, D.C. The Machete movies feature female stars in sexy, minimal clothing, something Vega prepared for prior to filming. “I was training really hard, but I didn’t know what the costume was going to be before I started training but I knew it was going to probably be something a little bit more revealing than anything I’d worn before,” said Vega.

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Q: Was there any reluctance on your part about wearing a g-string for this part, and how did that affect the stunt work? - WildWolfDJ
Q: What was your most memorable moment working on the film with Sofia Vergara? - Uinterview

It's so funny because Sofia Vergara, when you watch her on Modern Family, she's like this big, crazy fun character and Sophia is a big personality, even when she comes on set, but what she brings the second Robert says action - she goes from zero to a hundred within a second. Her character is so strong and she's a mother. She just owns it in a way that I don't think anyone else could have with that role.

Q: What was it like working with Robert Rodriguez, compared to your work with him on Spy Kids? - Uinterview

I've known Robert for 14 years so I had a lot of convincing to do when it came to this role because he wasn't quite ready to see me in a more grown up film. He still pictured me as that little girl but I finally convinced him that I was capable of doing this, we took. The role was originally made for a local hire out of Austin, Tex., and we just kind of slowly made her bigger and transformed her a little bit. The one thing I love about Robert is he really tailors every character to the actor he hires so what is written on paper isn't what usually comes out on the screen. It's so much more once that actor is hired.

Q: What was it like working with Robert Rodriguez, compared to your work with him on Spy Kids? - Uinterview

I've known Robert for 14 years so I had a lot of convincing to do when it came to this role because he wasn't quite ready to see me in a more grown up film. He still pictured me as that little girl but I finally convinced him that I was capable of doing this, we took. The role was originally made for a local hire out of Austin, Tex., and we just kind of slowly made her bigger and transformed her a little bit. The one thing I love about Robert is he really tailors every character to the actor he hires so what is written on paper isn't what usually comes out on the screen. It's so much more once that actor is hired.

Q: Did you do anything to get in shape for your sexy costume in the film? - Uinterview

You know what? Yeah, I was training really hard, but I didn't know what the costume was going to be before I started training but I knew it was going to probably be something a little bit more revealing than anything I'd worn before. The costume fit the character perfectly. It was so kick butt, so awesome. KillJoy's such a strong and powerful character, and it definitely boosted my confidence. I've always been a bit insecure in that area and shy but knowing that I had to own it and that I was playing a character who was very confident in herself - I was able to take that away in my own life. So I grew a lot from playing KillJoy.

Q: What do you think your Spy Kids fans will think of your new grown up persona? - Uinterview

I've really tried to make that transition over the past few years. And I'm 25 now so I've slowly tip-toed into this transition. So hopefully the timing is right and the people who grew up with me watching Spy Kids are around the same age, so I think they're watching these kinds of movies now.